


made for this

by ApfelTHS



Category: Naruto
Genre: Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Bottom Uchiha Sasuke, Fight Sex, First Time, Fluff and Smut, Gay Sex, Happy Ending, Konohagakure | Hidden Leaf Village, Light Angst, M/M, Naruto and Sasuke travel together, Nice Kyuubi | Nine-tails | Kurama, Nightmares, Non-Graphic Violence, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Protective Uzumaki Naruto, Sassy Uchiha Sasuke, Slow Burn, Smut, Top Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke Has Issues, Uchiha Sasuke Needs a Hug, Uchiha Sasuke Returns to Konoha, Unsafe Sex, mention of prostitution
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:07:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 33,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27061657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ApfelTHS/pseuds/ApfelTHS
Summary: It’s been a long time since the war is over. Two years after Sasuke left, team 7 is mandated to find the Uchiha to make sure he's safe. Naruto is convinced that his friend needs him, even though he's not admitting it. The shinobi decides to stay by Sasuke's side to accomplish their mission together and starts to realise that he might feel more than friendship for him. As Naruto tries to understand their connection, Sasuke is giving him a hard time.
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 99
Kudos: 418





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! This is my first Naruto work so... I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it! It was supposed to be a two shots but here I am, finishing the seventh and last chapter. I should update quite often since every chapter is almost ready to go!

They were already running for two days when Sakura raised her hand in the air, instructing them to stop. The Kunoichi opened her backpack and looked for water and pills. Naruto sighed. He knew she was just taking care of them as she should, but they were so close they didn't have any time to lose to rest. She insisted on feeding him the ninja pills even though she was well informed that Naruto was not anywhere near an ordinary human. The blond boy swallowed them with a forced smile. Still, inside him he felt thankful to have Sakura by his sides.

“We’re only a day away from Jofuku. We have time, Naruto.” Said Sai as he watched his friend lose patience.  
“Sasuke was seen there almost a week ago. If he crosses the border we won’t be able to follow him.” Naruto urged.  
“Come on.” Sakura began. “You know it’s different now, wars are over, they won’t be mad to see Uzumaki Naruto travelling through their lands.”

Naruto sighed again. He knew he was kind of privileged now, after everything that happened during the war, but him travelling was different than three highly trained shinobi entering a foreign land without permission. They needed to find Sasuke before he escaped again.

The blond agreed to take a sip of fresh water before they started running again. The forest was dense and he enjoyed the smell of it. Konohagakure was surrounded by forest, but being here on a mission was different. Since the war was over, Naruto had had very few missions. First of all because he had to get accustomed to his new arm, a gift from granny Tsunade. Secondly because Kakashi, the new Hokage, didn’t want to let him go away so fast. He suspected that his former sensei wanted him to rest. But it had been almost two years now and Naruto was ready to go back on the field. He had eaten all the ramen that he wanted, slept for weeks, helped build what had to be built again in the village and started instructing the young ninjas at the academy… He needed to see the world again. And what better reason than to look for Uchiha Sasuke?

A weight fell in his chest. It felt like he had searched for his friend all his life but he just couldn’t help it. After weeks of being chained in a prison cell, Sasuke had been released and directly disappeared from the village, barely saying goodbye. Naruto could understand. After all, besides him, Sakura and Kakashi, he had very few friends left in Konoha. And no family, only bad memories.

“Not only bad memories.” Naruto thought as he smiled a bit.

Pushed by Naruto’s impatience, Sakura agreed that they didn’t sleep that night and headed directly to Jofuku. Her friend’s speech had reminded her that she had not seen Sasuke in a while too. As morning arrived, the shapes of the little town stood out from the pale sky. The air felt heavier here because they were so close from the Land of Steam. But Naruto’s hands were cold as hell, as if he was afraid of Sasuke’s reaction when he’d see them.

After a tour of the village and no Uchiha in sight, they decided to take a break at a local restaurant. As Sai was ordering for them, Naruto witnessed his friend looking at the picture they brought with them with a smile. Her cheeks turned pink and her teeth started cutting through her lower lip.

“What are you going to say to him?” Naruto asked.  
“What… What do you mean?” She stammered.  
“I mean… Are you going to tell him you want to stay with him again?”  
“Naruto!” Sakura shouted with her usual offended tone before softening her voice. “This… He’s going to say no anyway.”  
“But you want to ask him, huh?”  
“Of course… We haven’t spent time together since he left… He didn’t even stay more than a night before fleeing away again.”

Naruto watched her as her eyes closed for a second. He could only imagine how painful this must be to be in love with someone who didn’t give you a chance. After a moment of silence she finally smiled and said:

“I don’t even know him anymore. I hope we’ll find him to rectify that!”

With their bellies full and the sun up above their heads, searching for Sasuke became quite more comfortable. Sending his shadow clones through the town, Naruto sped up the quest and soon, they heard about a suburban neighborhood where the Uchiha had been seen not later than last night.

After roaming for an hour, they finally found the place they were looking for: a square with few houses that seemed only inhabited by elderly villagers. There was a fireplace in the center and an old lady was making fish roast. Before they could say a thing, she pointed to the most secluded and simple house in the neighborhood.

“How do you know we’re looking for him?” Sakura asked.  
“He had the same headband as you in his pocket when he arrived.”

Before they could ask how she knew what was inside their very secret friend’s pocket, they heard a thud from the house. “He’s here, he’s inside.” Naruto thought. And of course he was, the blond should have paid more attention to his feelings. His chakra had been boiling since they had approached the square, like a signal.

Even though he was suddenly very aware that their presence here wouldn’t please Sasuke, Naruto stepped in front of Sai and Sakura to knock on the door. It was expected of him to not back down in front of any challenge… but this time his guts were twisting in an odd way.

“Sasuke. It’s us. Open the door.”

A silence and then the Uchiha’s voice echoed behind the wooden door.

“I know, usuratonkachi. I can see you through the walls.”

Naruto smiled as he opened the door and entered. Sasuke had not lost his sass, all was well. Sakura stood by Naruto’s side, her body temperature rising by the second.

“Sa-Sasuke-kun. How are you?” She asked with a shy voice.  
“Why are you here?”  
“Always so heart-warming.” Naruto chuckled.

Sai, who had no history with the Ninja seated in front of them, stepped before Naruto and specified the reason for their visit.

“Rokudaime received your letter about the muggers from the Land of Fire. He says that you didn't tell us everything.”  
“Kakashi wanted news, I provided them. The rest is my business, as long as Konoha is safe.”  
“That’s not a reason to go out there on your own, Sasuke-kun!” Said Sakura, finally finding composure. “You could get hurt. Shinobis work in teams of four. You can count on us.”

Sasuke chuckled lightly, his lips barely moving. The four of them knew Sasuke needed no help defeating any kind of enemies. But as time passed by and they got no news of Sasuke’s real safety, Kakashi had sent them to look over him after several cases of violent robbery had shaken the different lands.

“Kakashi-sensei just wanted me to stretch my legs.” Naruto joked, knowing their concern annoyed the young Uchiha. “I haven’t been on a mission for months now.”  
“I can see that, you didn’t even sense me last night.” Sasuke threw with a mocking grin on the corner of his mouth.  
“You were following us?” Sakura shouted. “I didn’t sense you either…”  
“See? And you three think I am in danger while you can’t even feel that somebody is following you into the night.”

“Touché.” Naruto thought. But he was not mad. This little game between them wasn’t harmful anymore. And he would give up on ramen if he could play it everyday with Sasuke in Konoha.

“So, are you going to tell us what you know?” Sai asked.

But Sasuke was like a prison door: he refused to give them any hint about what was happening north of the frontier. After an hour of trying to convince him, the Uchiha just fled from the house, leaving Team 7 clueless.

“He’s still Sasuke-kun.” Sakura admitted while taking off her gloves and opening the cabinet in the small kitchen. “He doesn’t have anything to eat. Maybe that old lady knows where we can find some food… and she can tell us why she knew about his headband. He doesn’t wear it.”

But when they came out, the elderly was already handing Sasuke a basket filled with goods. The three ninjas watched as he politely accepted the package and walked back to the house.

“So, old ladies, huh?” Naruto joked.  
“Shut up, idiot.”

The blond laughed a bit while Sakura, blushing from the sight of Sasuke being nice and normal, took the basket from his hand and started working in the kitchen. As she was cooking, the only room in the house fell silent again. Sai was studying a map, Sasuke was looking at the wall and Naruto was 100% sure his friend was watching the neighborhood with his skilled pupils. Rocked by the sound of the knife against the wood and the boiling water, Naruto let his thoughts linger a little. The house was sketchy, there was only a bag in the corner that he recognized and that was it. It had been more than an hour since they arrived and he still couldn’t get rid of that odd sensation in his guts. It was like the sight of his friend made everything burn inside… and Naruto knew all about having a literal fire monster in his stomach. But this was different. Painful, but delicious. As if he wanted to feel the ache and would die if it went away.

Naruto realized he had been staring at Sasuke for a long time when the raven-haired boy sent a kunai flying in his direction. The shinobi dodged the blade right before it hit his cheek and looked at Sasuke with his mouth opened. Sai had stopped watching the map and was ready to interfere if the two began to fight again.

“You need more training.” The Uchiha attacked.  
“I don’t expect to be hit in the face by my friend.”

Sasuke stayed silent but his chest rose higher, as he took a big breath to not tell him to fuck off again. It hurt Naruto that his friend couldn’t even stand to be in the same room as them. He understood why he wanted to stay away from Konoha… but him and Sakura had done nothing but be kind and supportive to him. It was not fair.

After they ate in silence, Sakura prepared bedding for four but the wanderer stopped her with his usual dryness.

“I don’t sleep here.”  
“W-why? Where are you going?”  
“Out.”

Naruto frowned. That was enough to make him want to punch his friend in the face.

“You can’t even spend the night with us?” She continued.  
“No. Good night.”

And he was out. Sakura held the little blanket she was preparing closer to her chest and sighed. She seemed resigned but Naruto wouldn’t have his attitude. She didn’t deserve Sasuke to be so obnoxious to her. Or to him, he had no idea who he pitied more.

Naruto followed the sound of Sasuke’s steps in the forest surrounding the neighborhood. It was dark and he cursed the Uchiha for having such good eyes. Fortunately, the evening had brought rain and Sasuke’s smell was all around the wet leaves.

“Sasuke!” He called when he finally found his friend establishing camp in a small glade.

The blond could hear him sigh and it made his inner beast growl even more. When they ended the war and made peace, Sasuke seemed finally at ease with their friendship. What changed?

“Hey stupid asshole. Why are you so mean to Sakura-chan?”  
“Am I? I just said I was sleeping outside.”  
“She travelled from the village to see you, and you’re not even taking 5 minutes to talk to her.”  
“What do you want me to say to her?”  
“I- I have no idea, I’m not an expert on this matter but you know how she feels.” Naruto shouted.  
“It’s not because she feels a certain way that I should feel the same.”

Sasuke was right, Naruto knew it. But he didn’t expect his shoulder to relax after this confession. He couldn’t be mad at his friend for not being in love with Sakura… but what about him?

“And me?”

Sasuke immediately stopped assembling wood and stones for his campfire and looked at Naruto. His black and purple pupils were shining under the moonlight and his jaw was tense. He made no sound and Naruto didn’t know why, in the chilly atmosphere of the forest, his cheeks were burning hot.

“What do you mean, you?” Sasuke finally asked, uncertain he wanted to know the answer.  
“Why do you avoid me so much? Is it this intolerable to spend time in my presence?”

The Uchiha stood taller, throwing a piece of wood in the circle of stones and stared at Naruto in silence. Something told the blond he was not going to have his answer. As expected, Sasuke said nothing and lit the fire with a Katon before sitting down. Naruto decided to invite himself since his friend couldn’t show any sign of affection.

Now seated next to him, he observed the slow dance of the flames on the pale skin of the boy. His angular and proud nose stood out into the night, locks of midnight hair decorating his forehead. Naruto noticed how the hair was longer on the Rinnegan’s side, as if Sasuke wanted to hide it. “It’s a shame,” he thought. The Rinnegan never looked so beautiful.

Naruto let his sight travel from the face to the jaw of Sasuke. He had such a feminine face and yet, he didn’t know a better looking man. Maybe that was what made Sasuke so beautiful. His neck was lean and he couldn’t see them right now, but Naruto knew how wide and strong his shoulders were. Sasuke had always been muscular. Back at the academy, he was the strongest of them all, even with his small and skinny body. These long hours of training had made him vigorous even at a young age. Now a man, the shinobi looked magnificent.

Naruto smiled thinking that was a compliment he could never admit to his friend. They both had immense admiration for one another, but that was something he probably shouldn’t share.

“Can you stop staring at me, baka?”  
“I try to print you in my head. I never know when I’ll be able to see you.”  
“You’ll see me when it’s needed.”

Naruto sighed, shook his head and played with a stick in the flames.

“Why are you here, Naruto?”  
“We were worried about you. Does this not please you, even a little?”  
“A letter would have been enough.”  
“I am serious.” Naruto started again, forcing Sasuke to turn his head at the tone of his voice. “You left almost two years ago. I’m glad you’re at peace but I didn’t save you to be friend with a ghost.”

Naruto’s voice cracked a little at the end of his speech and he hated to be weak in front of Sasuke. What a rescue team. But as he was shifting his attention to the campfire, he felt that he was in the right to be hurt by Sasuke’s behavior. He had to know he was tormenting his friends.

“I’m sorry.”

Naruto’s eyes widened. Sasuke was rarely sorry. Last time, it was when he apologized to Sakura for everything he had done to her. To yield again was a big effort coming from him and Naruto didn’t take his apology for granted. After another silence break, the Konoha shinobi started talking again with a lighter tone.

“So, you’re certain about Sakura-chan? I mean… you’re not gonna marry at all?”  
“I don’t know. I guess I’m supposed to. There’s the clan and our heritage.”  
“Using her as a puppy farm for your Sharingan might not be what I had in mind, though…”

Sasuke chuckled and looked at him with a playful smile.

“If I wanted to do that, I’d plant my seeds all around the Fire Land.”

Him and Naruto started laughing like naughty teenagers, their cheeks turning redder with the joy of having stupid conversations. They never had a teen friendship, never talked about girls or things like that. And as good as it felt to finally talk about something other than protecting the village, Naruto wondered if he really wanted to know what Sasuke was doing with girls.

“What about you? I thought you’d be interested in Sakura after all these years.”  
“I have not the slightest chance. You tried to kill her three times and she’s still madly in love with you. Besides, if she wanted me, don’t you think she would have told me by now?”  
“So… no one?” Sasuke asked again, failing to look unbothered.  
“Why do you want to know so badly?”

The raven-haired boy shrugged and poured two cups of hot tea.

“There’s Hyuuga Hinata.”

Sasuke cursed as he spilled the boiling water on his knee. Naruto watched him shaking his leg and avoiding his gaze.

“Are you okay? Do you want me to call Sakura? She can heal y-”  
“No! I’m fine. I’m fine.”  
“O-Okay.”  
“So… hm… the Hyuuga girl, huh?”  
“Hm.”

But Sasuke didn’t ask for more so Naruto didn’t feel like explaining he had doubts the brunette was fond of him. After all, he had found Sasuke again, they were alone under the stars… No one was more important than this moment. A comfortable silence fell between them and Naruto let the hot tea soothe his throat.

“Are you sure you want to sleep outside? It’s kind of humid around here.”  
“Yes. I’m alright. And before you ask: no, I don’t want you to stay.”

The blond boy looked at his friend’s face and smiled. Sasuke would kick the shit out of him if he stayed. Maybe he had something to hide but he’d never tell. He yawned, tired from the trip and the sleepless night before they arrived at Jofuku. Sasuke seemed relieved to see him leave for the house. But even though he was exhausted, Naruto had trouble falling asleep. He had reassured Sakura that she had done nothing wrong and that Sasuke wasn’t mad at her and lied down next to Sai who was already snoring. The silver light from the moon was peering through the window and he shivered when the wind made the branches move. Sasuke was outside with this cold… Something was odd with him. Naruto had noticed the trembling in his voice every time someone was trying to get closer to him. And he would not leave his friend like this.

The day after, when everybody had packed again and Sasuke was ready to leave Jofuku for the Land of Steam, he made them promise to go back safely to Konoha.

“I don’t need you here. I’ll send the hawk if I am in trouble.”  
“We know you won’t.” Sakura said, disappointed and worried. “I put some pills in your backpack. You need to eat more.”

Before he walked away, she wrapped her arms around him and pressed him a little. Sasuke let her do it, his body not reacting the slightest at first but then, his hand landed on top of her head. It was nothing, just a little touch, but for Sakura it meant all the comfort in the world.

Naruto, who was witnessing the scene from afar sighed. What if Sakura was inconsolable when she’d realised Sasuke didn’t love her the way she loved him? Naruto knew Sasuke had affection for her, that he appreciated that she put so much effort on making him feel loved… but that wasn’t what she wanted.

As the three ninjas parted their way with the wanderer, Naruto watched silently Sakura wipe the single tear off of her cheek. “It’s okay.” She told him. “It’s not entirely his fault. At least he’s safe.”

But Naruto was not so sure that Sasuke was, indeed, okay. Hidden in a leafy bush, he watched as Sai, Sakura and one of his shadow clones disappeared into the forest. He waited for them to be long gone before he went back on the road, following Sasuke’s steps. This time, he wouldn’t let him go away without him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there!  
> I wasn't expecting any response for my first chapter, since this is the first time I'm writing a narusasu story but you guys are already there, giving me your opinions and kudos. It means the world to me and gives me lots of motivation to go on! So, no talk anymore: here's today chapter!  
> Enjoy!  
> xx

Naruto had gone into Sage mode to follow Sasuke. Becoming one with nature had made him less noticeable, even though the Uchiha was skilled and would soon find out about his little trick. He had waited half a day to put as much distance as he could between the two of them and stay unnoticed. It was only at night that Naruto found the courage to get closer. After three days of running after Sasuke, his shadow clone had vanished. Sakura had taken care of him with her fist, shouting at him that she would worry about him. But before her fury, the pink-haired girl had hugged him so tight and thanked him for taking care of their friend. He knew he had made the right call.

That evening, Naruto knew they would spend another night outside. On the other side of the rock where Sasuke had established his camp, the flames were lazily warming the glade. Naruto concentrated on Sasuke’s chakra. The boy was always on alert but when he was asleep, his defenses were lower, easier to trick. When he finally felt him fall into slumber, Naruto sighed and built his own camp, free to make a bit more noise. He congratulated himself for being able to follow his friend for three days without being caught. 

Swallowing his last onigiri, he realised that a stop in the next village to buy some supplies would be soon necessary. Naruto lied down, pulling his blanket over him and shivered as the humidity from the Land of Steam started to wet his clothes. As uncomfortable as this situation was, he wouldn’t exchange it for the world. That was who he was: a shinobi. He lived for adventures. Being by Sasuke’s side and not hidden from his sight would make things better, but he would be content with this for now.

Naruto trembled several times during the night, the air getting colder by the hour. They were north of the land, the sea was very close, bringing winds and salty air. As he woke up again, he prayed that Sasuke would stop in an onsen so he could warm up his bones in hot water. But before he could fall asleep again, a scream tore the night. Naruto was now very awake. His muscles tensed up right away and his jaw had rarely felt so tight. His heart thumping hard in his chest, Naruto jumped on his feet, grabbed his belt pocket and ran to Sasuke’s camp. It was his voice he had heard screaming in the silence of the forest, waking up everything around like a lightning bolt striking between the trees. 

Using Kurama’s chakra, Naruto instantly turned into yellow flames. The war hero was ready to fight anyone who would approach his friend and make him scream the way he did. His silhouette lighting the path between the trees, he cursed himself for sleeping so far away from him. What would be the point of following Sasuke if he couldn’t help him when he was in trouble? When he arrived in the little glade, the fire was almost extinct and the camp silent. But Sasuke’s long shape was still visible inside the tent and no chakra but theirs was noticeable around them. Naruto didn’t wait longer, fearing someone might have slipped inside the tent and murdered Sasuke. Even if that was unlikely, he was shaking in fear anyway.

Though, under the blanket, Sasuke was here, asleep and very much alive. Naruto became normal again and frowned, trying to see what was happening inside. Did he hallucinate that scream? No, it felt pretty real to him. As he was about to slowly back down to stay unnoticed, Sasuke moved again, his face torn in angst. Now that he was looking at him closer, Naruto could see beads of sweat on his temples, hair sticking to his forehead and teeth scratching his lower lip. 

“Sa-Sasuke...?” He tried calmly.

But instead of his usual annoyed growl, Sasuke’s voice rose again in the dark, drawing chills everywhere on Naruto’s body. His scream, desperate and so loud, crawled under his skin and made his spine shiver. Sasuke seemed imprisoned in a bad dream, a genjutsu of the worst sort. Without further ado, Naruto jumped into the little tent and grabbed Sasuke by the shoulders to try to wake him up. His shirt was drenched with sweat, his face paler than usual and as feverish as he looked, his body felt cold like marble.

“Sasuke!” He called once again, more desperately this time.

It took Sasuke a few more seconds before he could open his eyes. The Sharingan was awake, the Rinnegan beaming into the light and before he realised that it was Naruto holding him, he sent the blond flying away from him. Naruto screamed as he hit a tree and fell on the ground. He was lucky Kurama’s chakra could heal him in no time. Sasuke stepped outside of the tent in an entanglement of clothes and sheets, his breath panting, hair still sticking to his face. 

As Naruto stood again, he watched the Sharingan going black and Sasuke staring at him with fear in his eyes. The blond knew exactly what his friend was afraid of: showing weaknesses. That time in the Valley of the End was the only moment he allowed himself to be weak in front of Naruto. And even that single tear had been hidden. Years later, as he was still screaming in fear to get away from his evil past, the Uchiha felt nothing but failure and shame.

“That’s why you didn’t want to share a bedroom with us.”

“What are you doing here?!” Sasuke shouted in anger, neither calm nor sassy anymore.

Naruto realized he was in a delicate position right now. Sasuke was caught and his pride had been severely attacked. He had to be clever this time, and everybody knew cleverness and subtlety weren’t his forte.

“I heard you scream. I thought someone had broken into your tent.”

“Why are you here?! Why aren’t you back in Konoha?”

“Sasuke I-”

“Get out! Leave me alone!”

Naruto swallowed, having strong reminiscences of the many fights the both of them had. He wouldn’t let Sasuke reject his affection again. Not after everything they’ve been through. Instead of another pointless talk, he walked to the Uchiha, holding his gaze and filling it with as much tenderness as he could. “I will deliver you from your hate.” He thought. “I did it once, I can do it again.”

Sasuke took a step back, afraid of what could happen if he'd let someone get close to him. In silence, Naruto sat on the floor and took care of the fire so they could get warm again. A shiver crossed his body as Sasuke's anger was vibrating behind him. Naruto knew how much Sasuke wanted to tell him to leave. For unknown reasons, he didn’t say anything and went back to his tent. Naruto sent a shadow clone to retrieve the stuff he had left in the forest and lied by the fire in silence. 

Sasuke’s chakra was still active an hour after. He wasn’t asleep and neither was Naruto. Now he had a real reason to worry about him. This couldn’t go on. Not on his watch. Not after Itachi had entrusted him with his little brother. Instead of fueling Sasuke’s anger, Naruto decided to stay silent for the night. He kept his mouth shut until the sun rose up in the sky and even after, when he had started to follow him. It was tough for the effusive boy because he only wanted to get closer to Sasuke, just like they used to be. But his safety was more important than his stupid jokes. 

Walking behind Sasuke, Naruto watched as his black cape gracefully danced around his long legs. The simple presence of the Uchiha made his existence brighter. He had one mission in his life: protect his people. And among his peers, Sasuke was the one he loved the most and the one who needed his help the most. Sometimes, the raven-haired ninja would slightly turn his head to check if Naruto was still behind. But the more time passed, the less annoyed he seemed to see the whiskers on Naruto’s cheeks stretch every time he smiled at him.

At night, they stopped by a river so they could clean themselves a little. Sasuke sat on a rock, diving his swollen feet into the cold water. They had walked so much that even Naruto, who was always so chilly, welcomed the freshness of the river with open arms. They still hadn’t exchanged a word but it was fine like this. Naruto washed his face and took off his jacket and fishnet top to clean himself better. All he could think about was getting a real shower in an inn. He wondered how long they would stay in the wild like this. 

Coming back on the muddy shore, he noticed that Sasuke was looking right at him. The Uchiha was seated 3 meters away from him, shamelessly scanning his naked and wet torso. The blond had no idea why this would be so strange… He had seen his friends naked countless times at the onsen and him and Sasuke had gone to those establishments together when they were younger. But his gaze had changed. Or maybe Naruto wished it had. Shaking the thoughts away from his mind, he finally spoke.

“You don’t bathe?”

Sasuke did not answer his question and unbuttoned his shirt slowly. The Uzumaki looked away, once again, without knowing why it would be embarrassing to see Sasuke without his shirt on. But as he was going to give him some privacy, he noticed a dark red stain on the side of Sasuke’s shirt. He had been wounded. And judging by the color of the stain, it wasn’t so hold. Pretending to go away, he waited long enough to see the young man take off his shirt entirely. There it was, a slit the size of his palm on his ribs. The wound seemed taken care of, but that was something Sakura could have healed in a minute. Why didn’t he say something? Judging it would be better to let Sasuke explain himself, Naruto left and prepared a camp for the two of them. 

When he came back, Sasuke had wet hair and two fishes in his hand. Droplets of cold water were coming down his neck and inside his shirt and Naruto shivered. Not from the cold. The exact opposite. He was hot as hell after seeing how Sasuke’s dark mane was sticking to his nape. As he was clearly wondering if he had a fever, he felt the purring of Kurama’s laugh deep in his mind. “Oh shut up”, he sent to the nine-tailed fox.

They sat and Sasuke prepared the fishes for them. Seeing him so calm and quiet while doing his task was soothing and surprisingly… domestic. He loved the simple fact that he could freely be by Sasuke’s side like it was the most casual thing to do. That was when he realised how much he had missed him. At first, he had thought that saving him would be for Sasuke, for his friend's sake. But it had also been a selfish wish: he wanted him back with him. Shikamaru, Sai, Sakura, Kakashi… they were all his family. But Sasuke was different. He was his soulmate. It had been confirmed thanks to Rikudô but Naruto had not waited for that old man to tell him how to feel about Sasuke. It wasn’t like they both didn’t already know something special bonded them. They could read each other’s mind without even trying and Naruto wished his friend could read his now. He would see how much he needed him too and how painful it was to see him suffer once again. 

To his own surprise, Sasuke broke the silence while watching the fish cook.

“I don’t need you here, Naruto.” He said with a calm voice.

“Where do you need me?”

“In Konoha… safe and guarding the village.”

“So, I should go back then?”

Sasuke nodded and turned the sticks above the flames. 

“What about what I need? Have you thought about that?”

“What do you mean?” He answered, his jaw tensing.

“What if I needed _you_ to be in Konoha? Or just, what if I needed to be with you once in a while?”

“What for?”

“Because you’re my friend. I thought you knew that.”

Naruto smiled when he noticed the grin blooming on the corner of Sasuke’s lips. The rest of the evening went smoothly as they both talked about something else. On their way to the next town, the shinobi from Konoha finally found the courage to ask Sasuke questions about their current quest.

“So, what do you know about the muggers?”

“Not much, except that they’re looking for relics of the war.”

“They might be dangerous and preparing for something bigger than expanding their collection.”

“That’s what I thought. That’s why I got to take the case.”

“And… how did you get wounded?” Naruto asked in one breath.

“I lacked focus.”

“You? I thought Susanô was enough for you to never get hurt.” Naruto teased him.

“Listen, I don’t want to talk about this, Naruto.”

“Are you ashamed you got hurt?” Naruto joked.

Sasuke sped up his pace and the blond ran after him, giggling like an idiot. He wrapped his arm around Sasuke’s shoulders and rubbed his head with his knuckles like a big brother, messing with Sasuke’s entire hairstyle. The black-haired man pushed him away with his hand, pretending to be mad before smiling a bit.

“Baka.”

“You, baka. I’m not the one getting hurt by stupid thieves.”

When they finally entered the village of Yugakure, the sun was setting down, bathing the town in a sweet orange atmosphere. The clouds of steam escaping from the different hot springs around the village made the air thick and the light even more magical. Naruto remembered the time he came with Jiraya-sensei. His old master was thrilled to be able to do some “research”. Naruto laughed for himself, reminiscing the good times he had spent with the pervert. Sasuke seemed to notice his companion's joyful mood and took him to a hotel where they could spend the night and enjoy a hot bath. “Finally” Naruto thought. A real bed and the quietness of the onsen. 

After they paid for a reservation and ate something in the village’s ramen restaurant - where Naruto had dragged Sasuke - they finally crashed into their room.

“Those ramen weren’t as good as Ichiraku’s but I feel full after a week of eating almost nothing.”

“Aren’t you tired of eating your stupid noodles?”

“Don’t ever talk bad about ramen in front of me, Sasuke.”

The Uchiha smiled lazily and started to unpack his bag. 

“I’m going for a bath. You wanna come?” The blond asked, already looking for a clean towel.

“Go ahead, I’ll join you.”

Naruto nodded and took everything he needed to go into the changing rooms. He had not been to a real onsen in a long time… and had not spent some relaxing time with Sasuke for 8 years. The perspective was scary and exciting at the same time. It was just a bath with a friend… but somehow Naruto expected more.

“More of what?” He asked himself. “What more would you want to happen in a bath with Sasuke?”

Again, the purring of the beast in the back of his mind told him everything he needed to know: something was up with himself. And he wasn’t ready to know what. 

As soon as he entered the hot water, all his muscles relaxed and he drowned himself to feel it all. Because of the late hour, the bath was empty. Naruto enjoyed the silence and let his body float, drunk with the hot steam coming out of the surface. His lids became heavier by the minute, he could feel slumber crawling in every part of his limbs. The lapping of water behind him pulled him a bit out of his torpor. In a cloud of steam, Sasuke slowly dipped in the water. Naruto stood back on his feet and noticed the white towel his friend had laid by the pool. Very aware of their nakedness, Naruto tried to hide the redness of his cheeks by diving until half of his face was immersed. 

“Sasuke is almost a stranger now.” He thought. “That’s why you’re so embarrassed about the sudden intimacy.”

Coiled in the safety of the hot water, Naruto only allowed his clear blue eyes to follow Sasuke while he was enjoying his bath. The blond thought that a midnight swim would save them both the trouble of seeing each other naked. But he cursed his stupidity again. Under the moonlight, Sasuke’s pale skin clearly stood out in the dark water of the hot spring. The young man was laying on his stomach, his arm on a rock, minding his business, as usual. His shoulder blades were prominent in that position, making it very hard for Naruto not to stare at his back muscles. 

Spinning, Sasuke let his head fall backward against the rock, offering Naruto the sight of his milky neck, wide shoulders and collarbones beaming with droplets under the diffuse light. Even in the hot coat of water, a shiver crossed Naruto’s body. He couldn’t stop looking at him like this, his cut arm disappearing in the bath like they had never fought. Naruto swallowed, regretting to have hurt him. It was stupid guilt because it was all Sasuke’s fault and he'd gotten the same treatment… But he couldn’t help it.

Hopelessly attracted by the Uchiha, Naruto silently swam toward his direction. Sasuke opened his eyes when little waves started licking his pectorals as Naruto approached. But he stayed still. The blond didn’t know what to expect from that encounter, but he wanted to soothe his pain a little. With his regular hand, he started to lightly touch Sasuke’s shoulder and arm until it went under water and he could feel the neat cut. Bones and flesh had disappeared that day at the Valley of the End, leaving the both of them crippled. A sea of chills covered Sasuke wet skin as Naruto gently cupped the stump where his elbow was supposed to be. 

The Uchiha stayed silent but his eyes were questioning Naruto and the blond had no response. He just wanted to touch him there, touch him anywhere, in fact. For someone who lived so wildly, Sasuke’s skin was incredibly smooth. Another perk of being a naturally beautiful person, Naruto thought. Like a speechless dialogue, Naruto felt Sasuke’s soft fingers pulling on the bandage on his crippled arm. Slowly, the pieces of fabric started to float away, revealing the limb Tsunade had grown for him thanks to the first Hokage’s cells. Sasuke’s sight travelled from the lagoon of Naruto’s blue eyes to the prosthesis attached to his body. The skin here was soft but fragile, pale and new. The contrast between Naruto’s tan shoulder and his milky white arm made Sasuke wince. His long fingers wrapped around the member before caressing the scar where the skin joined with the pulp of his index. 

“Does it hurt?” He whispered as if somebody could hear them.

“Not anymore.”

“I’m sorry.”

“That’s the second time you apologize to me in less than a week. I’m starting to think there is something wrong with you.” Naruto said with a smile.

Sasuke didn’t answer but a grin followed and he kept touching that sensitive part on Naruto’s arm. The electric sensation flew from his shoulder right down to his feet, making his toes curl unexpectedly. Soon, the steam started to weigh on Naruto’s head again, making him dizzy, heavy and sleepy at the same time. Sasuke might have been in the same state because his touch on his arm became slower and more insistent. Both of them struggled to keep their eyes open, exhausted from their trip and the tension building around them for days. It was only when Naruto felt Sasuke’s knee against his thigh that he remembered they were both naked in a hot bath. 

Eyes wide open, he took the vision offered to him and printed it behind his lids. Sasuke had his head slouched back, lips slightly parted, hair sticking to his face and neck. When he felt Naruto’s gaze on him, he finally looked at him, eyes barely opened. They stared at each other in silence, breathing slowly, letting the tension rise comfortably and the atmosphere warm up. Naruto couldn't take his eyes off of his friend, as if he was hypnotised. It took them another minute - or maybe ten - to take the decision to part. Sasuke made the first step, brushing against Naruto’s naked body as he swam away. The blond couldn't help but watch him as he climbed the steps, revealing his naked back to him. The perfect V shape of his body, the tightness of his hips, the roundness of his butt, his firm thighs and long calves… Naruto took all in, swallowing the big lump in his throat. Sasuke grabbed the white towel but didn’t bother wrapping it around him. When he closed the door behind him, all Naruto could do was sink and close his eyes so tight he could feel his lashes squeal. But every time he was expecting blackness, Sasuke’s ass came to his mind. And with the memory, the rush of blood all around his body finished its course under his abdomen. 

Naruto had not felt aroused like that in months. Not even when the frustration of not going out on mission was kicking in. Not even when thinking about the girls he usually fancied at home. Nothing could prepare him for the level of heat pooling between his legs. Ashamed and feeling pathetic, Naruto waited until his boner went away. There was no way he could touch himself thinking about his friend. It was treason and Sasuke would hate him if he knew it. When his dick fell almost soft and the water felt cold, Naruto went back to the bedroom he shared with him. 

The black shape of Sasuke’s mane was already on the pillow and it seemed like the shinobi was asleep. Naruto hurried in his night clothes and lied down on his futon. The light breathing rhythm of his friend soothed him and rocked him to sleep. That little incident had been a mistake. Naruto was just under pressure, he was sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of things to unpack here! I hope you guys still enjoy it!  
> I forgot to tell you before, but I'm not a native English speakers. You probably noticed, but sorry in advance for the mistakes I might make!
> 
> Thank you for reading, and as always, I'd be glad to read your thoughts!  
> xx


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there!!  
> If you are still here, thank you for reading and I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter. I really like how cute Naruto is in this one. Things are getting a little bit dangerous for him, but that's what we're here for, right?
> 
> Enjoy!!  
> xx

After a few days in Yugakure questioning the locals - and definitively not going back to the hot spring - Naruto and Sasuke went back on the road. They were travelling north to the Land of Frost and Naruto was already using his chakra to keep his body warm. The winds were stronger as they were approaching the border. Once the two shinobi reached it, all they could see were white mountains and cloudy sky. A shiver made Naruto tremble and he balled his fists underneath his thin cloak. The idea of spending so much chakra to not die of hypothermia made him sick and Kurama agreed with him. The nine-tailed fox was urging him to find a coat warm enough to travel.

“Naruto, stupid human.”

“There, there, Kurama. I’m going to find something.” He tried to reassure him in his thoughts.

“All you have to do is stay close to Sasuke to sleep tonight.”

“Very funny.”

Sometimes, the Jinchuuriki wished he could cut his direct line to Kurama. That beast knew him too well. The thought of that night in the onsen was very clear in Naruto’s mind. He had tried very hard to avoid thinking about it. But the sole presence of his friend around was making it very difficult… especially when they were bonding so well. The laughter, the investigation, their temperament… Everything fitted perfectly. Sasuke and Naruto were still sleeping in a tent apart and it was better like this. But when the sun came down that day, and they couldn’t find shelter, the idea of spending the entire night in his wet sleeping-bag became very unappealing.

“Ne, Sasuke…”

The Uchiha had cleared the ground off the snow, so they could set camp under a large tree.

“Don’t you think we’re going to be freezing?”

“You don’t pack a warm cape when you travel, you’re a moron.”

“I’m sorry but I’m not sure your super woolen cape will be enough for tonight. The sky seems pretty angry if you want my opinion.”

Sasuke looked up too and sighed. For once, they seemed to agree on something. Using every piece of fabric they could find, they made a shelter and Sasuke lit a nice fire. Finally, Naruto could feel his fingers and toes warming up again. He was not of fragile composition, but still, he wouldn’t mind a day or two coiled against the fireplace.

“Are you better, bibiri-kun?”

“Tss… dare to tell me you’re not freezing too.”

Sasuke chuckled and Naruto grinned at that sound. Everything Sasuke was doing these days awed the Ninja. The more they spent time together, the less the both of them were aware of what they were doing. As if they relaxed around each other a little. Naruto often leaned on Sasuke, touched him as he would do to any other of his friends. It was innocent, natural, but each contact sent an electric shock to his heart. It was just like that, and he had chosen to live with it. Sasuke was in his life forever and his new feelings - were those feelings? - wouldn’t get in the way of their friendship. On the other hand, the black-haired man didn’t seem to mind Naruto’s new affectionate manners. On the contrary, he had never been so off guard when feeling the subtle graze of fingers on his shoulders.

Naruto had not yet pierced the mysteries surrounding Sasuke but he was working on it. Even if he had heard his friend cry several times at night, he had tried not to show him he knew all about it. But all the while pretending it never happened, when Sasuke’s screams were waking him up in the middle of the night, he was wordlessly surrounding his tormented friend with a warm and bright chakra. Night after night, the nightmares seemed to be less intense and frequent. Saying that he wasn’t very proud of his little ruse would be a lie. In fact, even Kurama patted him in the back for making Sasuke’s nights safe again.

After a quick meal, Naruto slouched down by the fire, enjoying its warmth. He could feel an inquisitive gaze travelling up and down his body and only looked at Sasuke when he was - almost - certain he could talk to him without a crack of shyness in his voice. The Uchiha looked tired but at peace. The lines on his face were relaxed, his lips were curling up a little as he was staring at the lower part of Naruto’s face. A tad embarrassed, the shinobi opened his mouth a little before pressing his lips together and clearing his throat.

“Hm… it’s hot in here.” He said, rolling on his back to avoid Sasuke’s gaze. He thought that Sasuke might have noticed that he was acting strange lately. But he wasn’t the type to use it against him.

“Does that mean you’re sleeping alone tonight?” Sasuke said with his usual snarky tone.

“You sound like I’m glued to you every night.”

“You were pretty close two days ago.”

Naruto swallowed and stayed speechless. Two days before, they had fallen asleep by the fire, their meal barely finished. They had woken up with Naruto pillowing his head on Sasuke’s stomach, his arms cuddling his thigh. He had not done this on purpose and the awakening had embarrassed them both.

“I’ll sleep outside then. I bet this is warmer than your bed.”

At Naruto’s surprise, Sasuke laughed out loud, filling the small shelter with peals of laughter. Naruto looked at him, his eyebrows high on his forehead, not expecting this reaction at all. Outside, the wind was howling against their tent but all he could hear was the beautiful sound of joy Sasuke was making.

“What is so funny?”

“I didn’t know you were able to make sex jokes. That’s it.” He answered, wiping the little tear escaping from the corner of his black eye.

“A se- a what joke?”

Sasuke's laughter intensified as he watched Naruto’s clueless face now wincing in embarrassment.

“Don’t you know what it means? Warming someone’s bed.”

“Well now that you say it, it seems obvious. But I don’t see what is so funny about it.” He retorted, sulking because he obviously was so inexperienced on the matter that it was becoming pathetic.

“What’s so funny is _you_ saying that to _me_.”

Naruto growled as an answer. Not because he was upset about the joke, but because of something else and new… or maybe not that new, but new to his knowledge of himself and his desires. He had already grasped that the idea of him and Sasuke getting closer - like real close - was weird and off limit. But his body and his heart seemed to ignore that fact with a very large amount of energy. And now, he had to deal with the thought that his friend might be way more experienced than him. This time, the curiosity won him over.

“Ne, Sasuke…”

“Hm.”

“Have you… done it?”

The silence that followed that question made Naruto regret he ever asked it. But instead of mocking him again, Sasuke’s voice softened.

“Hm… yes.”

“Really?” Naruto sat up straight to look at him.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“I… when?”

“Are we really going to talk about this? This is embarrassing.”

“Oh I don’t know, it didn’t seem embarrassing to you five minutes ago when you were laughing at me.”

Silent ensued again. Sasuke added more wood to the fire and cleared his throat.

“I’d rather not talk about this face to face.” He said, crawling into his tent and lying on one side. Naruto sighed but before he could apologize for his bluntness, the dark-haired Ninja interrupted his thoughts. “Aren’t you coming?”

Hurrying into the tent too, the young man tried his best to fit on the other side of the small space. They were so close that Sasuke’s breath hitting the ceiling of their nest bounced right back on Naruto.

“I thought you could see in the dark.” Naruto said.

“Yeah. But you can’t.” He answered with his usual smart-ass tone and Naruto chuckled. “So… hm…” He started, encouraged by the surrounding darkness.

“Was it this girl? Karin?”

“Just let me talk, moron.”

“Sorry. But don’t tell me it was her!”

Sasuke sighed again and started pulling his blanket above his head.

“Sorry! Sasuke, I promise I won’t say anything.” The blond begged while pushing the sleeping-bag to the side.

“As I was saying…” Sasuke started again, not as annoyed as he pretended to be. “After I left Konoha two years ago I looked for nothing but solitude. But, I don’t know… It seems like some people felt I was not as angry as before. They were approaching me, there was no fear in their eyes, no discomfort…”

Naruto closed his eyes, trying to imagine his friend roaming around, meeting new people, making new memories. It warmed his heart as much as it shattered it. He would have wanted to be here too, to witness Sasuke discovering the world with fresh, new and happier eyes.

“I spent a month in Tatsujin, in the province of Nikko. And I met this girl… she was the hotel owner’s daughter.”

“Di-did you love her?” Naruto asked, throat dry and eyes wet.

“No… She was just nice and she didn’t know me. She thought my Rinnegan was a disease and never asked questions about it. It felt good to be no one.”

“Hm… What was it like?”

“Short.” Sasuke chortled. “But I did it again after. With other women.”

“Why?” Naruto let out bluntly, regretting it already.

“Why what?”

“Why… would you do it with strangers?”

He felt Sasuke turn on his side to face Naruto who was still staring at the top of the tent, his face red and burning hot.

“Because… I just needed it.”

With Kiba or Shikamaru, Naruto would have had billions of questions. They would have laughed about it, shared experiences, anecdotes and even advice. Maybe Naruto would have learned a trick or two. But he didn’t want to hear anything about Sasuke being with other people. Especially when his hip was touching his thigh and his breath was blowing in his neck.

“Are you disappointed?”

“W-what? Why would I be disappointed?” Naruto fake-laughed. “That’s not my business.”

“I don’t know… you seem to want me with Sakura so badly.”

“I want you… in the village. that’s it.”

Naruto turned his back to Sasuke, afraid of what might escape his mouth if they kept talking in that position. The boy behind him seemed to straighten a little to watch him.

“Naruto…”

His whole body shivered at the sound of Sasuke’s deep voice. But he pretended he was asleep just so he wouldn’t have to explain why he had become so cranky all of a sudden. It was his fault, he was the one who asked questions. What was he thinking?

Sasuke sighed and took his clothes off next to him, just keeping his underpants.

“You should take off your clothes too. Everything is wet, you’re gonna be cold.”

“I’m fine.”

“If you’re sick, I’m not carrying you.”

Sasuke waited a little bit more but Naruto didn’t move. He just needed time to adjust to the fact that in one night, Sasuke made fun of him for being inexperienced, clearly stated that he would never get intimate with him and revealed him details of his sex life. What a shitty night. And now, he was also right: away from the fire, glued to the edge of the tent to avoid touching Sasuke, Naruto was freezing in his humid clothes.

After several hours of struggling and shivering to the bones, his body finally let go and he fell asleep. But it didn’t last long. Naruto suddenly heard a noise outside. His senses were on alert since he was just lightly asleep. Sasuke on the other hand, seemed to enjoy his night like a baby bear. Stepping out of the tent with a kunai in his hand, Naruto paced the white forest. His feet were sinking in the snow, drenching his pants from the ankles to the thighs. But he couldn’t take any chance: if there was an enemy out there, it was him or them.

As he was about to shout a menacing threat, Naruto saw two tanukis running away with their bags of food in their mouths. The wild dogs seemed very happy to have tricked him and as he was angrily screaming at them to come back, his feet got stuck between two rocks hidden under the snow. With a loud shriek, Naruto fell, rolling down the hill and landing in a splash of water in a frozen river. His muscles tensed immediately as the cold attacked him like sharp shurikens. Before the tide could take him away, he used his Bijuu chakra to grow two more arms and got himself out of the river. Naruto was completely drenched, freezing and complaining on his way back to the tent. This was the hero of Konoha, fooled by freaking wild dogs. Sasuke had probably woken up thanks to his screams. For once that his friend had been sleeping peacefully, Naruto had ruined everything.

When he approached their shelter, he distinguished Sasuke running to him, his cape barely hanging by his shoulders, the whiteness of his chest visible under the dark cloak.

“What are you d-d-doing? You’re g-g-gonna get c-c-c-cold!” Naruto tried to articulate, his teeth chattering like crazy.

“Get in there, moron!”

Sasuke pushed him under their shelter and katoned the shit out of the fireplace. Without hesitation, the Uchiha started undressing his friend, shivering and trembling from the excruciating cold. Naruto was lost between Sasuke’s cursing and the touch of his warm hands on his frozen skin. He was completely helpless, watching him getting rid of all of his clothes and burying him under warm and dry blankets.

“What about you?” He asked when his teeth had stopped chattering.

“Shut up, usuratonkachi. What were you doing out there in the storm?”

“The… tanukis...stole our…”

“You’re stupid. Don’t you think I would have sensed it if they were shinobi? Who cares about food if you die?”

Sasuke cursed again and sat on the other side of the fireplace, pouting and rolling his eyes to show his friend he was annoyed and irritated. They both stayed silent for a while but a shy smile bloomed on Naruto’s mouth.

“Thanks for the fire…”

Sasuke growled and went back to bed. When the blond noticed he had no blanket, he joined him, too cold to care that he was naked. The atmosphere was warm there and it still had their smell, especially Sasuke’s. Pulling one of the comforters over his friend, Naruto buried his nose just where his head was a minute before. He hummed for a long minute the softness of his natural scent. A mix of sweat, burned matches and something sweet like cherry or plum. Naruto was lying on more than half of the tent but Sasuke didn’t seem to mind. On the contrary, his body aligned perfectly with Naruto’s, allowing him to set his head right below his neck, where it was the warmest. Finally in a comfortable cocoon, Naruto fell deeply asleep.

That morning, when they woke up, Sasuke and Naruto were facing each other. Naruto opened his eyes and the midnight orbs in front of him were already scrutinizing his face. The straight and long nose was so close to his small one that he could feel the light graze of the tips against each other. In silence, he scanned his face, noticing how long and curled his eyelashes were and how plump his mouth was. Under the sleeping-bags, his body was still naked and separated from Sasuke’s by a thin sheet. The blond felt something around them, like a life energy he had never encountered but knew by heart. It almost felt like both of their chakras had melted together to form a safe and cosy halo around them. Though, they had done nothing but sleeping. This comfort and the fact that Naruto had never been so at peace made his heart beat faster. His cloudy mind slowly realised that what he was feeling for Sasuke wasn’t just physical. He wanted to wake up like this more often… maybe every day. 

None of them dared to move, enjoying the warmth, the comfort of their shoulders touching, until Naruto noticed a hand on his back, right on his loins. He opened his mouth to talk but the words were missing. Naruto had vanquished the most terrifying shinobi, dead or alive, but he was incapable of talking to his best friend about his feelings.

“Naruto…”

“Hn…?”

“Don’t overthink this.”

And just like that, Sasuke got up and stepped out of the tent, popping the warm and soft bubble and leaving Naruto alone in the cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, our hero is in a tricky situation but... Sasuke doesn't seem very honest too, does he? *wink wink*
> 
> Thank you for reading, leaving comments and kudos, it makes my life brighter!!  
> xx


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there!  
> I hope everyone is doing well. Here is a new chapter, it's a smutty one...  
> There is unprotected sex happening here, so I'm gonna add it to the tags. Make sure you don't read this one if this is a trigger for you. 
> 
> Anyway, you're not here to read my nonsense, enjoy!  
> xx

They had been walking in silence for three hours now, with no village in sight. After a quick and meager breakfast with what the tanukis had left them, they had packed their stuff and gone back on the road. The frostiness of the air was nothing compared to the sentiment of loneliness he had felt after his awakening. When Sasuke had left his side that morning, a part of his soul went with him. What did he mean by “not overthinking this”? It wasn’t like Naruto had ever shared his bed like that, so he had no idea what to think. And even if Sasuke was more experienced, the blond doubted he was so affectionate with anybody else. If only he had the guts to ask him where he stood. But the words were still missing, like he was walking on eggs and afraid something would push Sasuke even farther away. That was what he wanted to avoid more than anything.

Naruto was slowly building their friendship again, and it felt amazing. The looks they were giving each other, the easy silences, the sound of their steps in the snow… he liked sharing all of this with him as if they had never grown apart. But now, that silence was painful, as if Sasuke was trying to break something between them to avoid the confrontation. Maybe he wasn’t ready to be so close to someone yet. Naruto would give him time, that was all they got.

While he was still lost in his thoughts, the shinobi noticed a lonely little girl on the side of the road. Sasuke had stayed a bit behind to make sure they weren’t followed. Naruto approached the tiny silhouette, her long purple hair floating in the wind and her bright grey eyes looking at her feet, bare in the snow.

“Hey! Little girl!” He called. “Are you okay?”

Naruto started running to her. “She must be freezing”, he thought. “What is she doing all alone there?” When he finally reached her, she had not moved an inch. Naruto kneeled, so he could look at her in the eyes. Her little hand, cold like ice, landed on his cheek, reddened by the wind. She smiled at him and Naruto smiled back. Right when he was about to tell her that she was safe now, he heard the sound of Sasuke’s voice shouting from afar and the whistle of a sharp kunai blade grazing at his ears before stabbing the little girl.

Naruto stayed shocked for a second before realizing the little girl had just vanished into smoke. Behind him, Sasuke had appeared and was already taking his Katana out of its case. The blond had no idea what was happening, but he suddenly burst into flames, activating his Bijuu mode, ready for battle.

Enemies were coming from all over the white woods, attacking them from every angle. But Sasuke and Naruto had seen worse. Back to back, they defended themselves like it was nothing, just a training fight. The Jinchuuriki even thought it was a waste to use Kurama’s chakra for a battle so pointless. Their defense almost impenetrable, they kept fighting back until all of their enemies were on the floor. But as Naruto was smiling in victory, he noticed that the bodies were slowly disappearing in smoke too.

“What was that?” He asked, wiping his forehead covered in cold sweat.

“The guys we are looking for.”

Naruto nodded and followed his friend who had gone back onto the road like it was nothing.

“That little girl, where did she go?” He went on, not ready to leave Sasuke alone just yet.

“She was a trap, you fell into it.”

Naruto frowned. The girl seemed pretty real to him. But then he realized.

“You fell into it too!” He shouted with a joyful tone.

“What?” Sasuke answered, his voice way too high-pitched to be casual.

“You fell into it! That’s why you were wounded!” Naruto started to laugh. “You were so ashamed your eyes didn’t notice that she wasn’t real that you didn’t want me to know.”

As the raven-haired shinobi growled and sped up his pace, Naruto burst into laughter once more. It took several miles for the young Ninja to stop giggling and he suspected that Sasuke was about to put him in a Genjutsu jail cell for having the audacity to mock him. Right when he was about to make another joke, Sasuke put a finger on his mouth to shut him up. Surprised by the gesture, Naruto squinted at the piece of skin against his lips and restrained himself to not open his mouth to suckle it. A thing he would never have thought of doing years ago.

“Dammit.” He thought. “Why does everything have to be sexual now?”

They had just arrived in a larger city. From where they stood the streets looked busy, smokes were coming from the center and escaping into the sky. Busy enough that they could enter unnoticed, they started walking. But Sasuke wouldn’t risk his anonymity for the world.

“You need to keep quiet now, Naruto.”

“Where are we?”

“Shimo.“ He sighed. “You should have paid more attention in geography class at the Academy.”

Naruto chose to ignore that comment and followed the road leading to the town. They each took a path to investigate about the muggers on their own and the blond regretted they couldn’t stick together. The city was located between mountains and Naruto had rarely seen such a place. Outside the stores, little lights were dangling in the wind. Children were wearing big woolen scarves and drinking something hot that smelled delicious. The frost gave the town a festive atmosphere they only had in Konoha when a new Hokage was coronated. Naruto smiled and enjoyed his visit, paying attention to every little thing he didn’t know. He only wished Sasuke would agree to stay here that night. The shinobi needed some rest and to try one of those warm drinks.

After two hours roaming through the city, Naruto’s feet started to get very cold and his motivation dropped when a delicious aroma drew him to a ramen stall. He could only imagine how warm and delicious the broth would feel in his stomach. And as if Sasuke had heard his belly gurgle from the other side of town, he appeared by his side and rolled his eyes before entering the tiny restaurant.

“I took a room in a local inn.” Sasuke said after chewing on a thin slice of pork.

“Great. I don’t want to sleep outside tonight and I need a good night rest.”

“We’re still investigating.”

“What do you mean?” Naruto asked after swallowing half of the ramen stock.

But Naruto knew what it meant. He had “investigated” too many times with Jiraya-sensei in “hotels”. That asshole Sasuke had made a reservation in a brothel or something. Naruto knew this was the safest place to get intels about the local life, but the idea of stepping inside those establishments with Sasuke tore his guts. His friend ignored him and finished his bowl, arranging his lock of hair in front of his Rinnegan. “At least, Sasuke took only one room” Naruto thought, trying to stay positive. “He’s not going to do it next to me.”

The bar had diffused lights, several low tables and cushions on the floor. The two shinobi had entered the establishment after they had paid for their room and left their stuff there. Sasuke had ordered a bottle of sake for the both of them and was laying low. After dismissing Naruto’s questions about consuming alcohol, they were both slowly drinking their small glasses. The young shinobi was very uncomfortable at the idea of doing this investigation that way. This time, he wasn’t a child anymore and it was expected of him that he’d participate.

Under the lock of black hair, Naruto could see that the Rinnegan was working, scanning the whole room for a clue or something else. The blond squirmed on his cushion. It was one thing to be on a mission with Ero Sennin, another to be in a brothel with Sasuke. Some girls had started to come into the bar to meet with the men in the booth. Some of them were travellers, others were clearly regulars of the establishment and it was just a matter of time before the workers would realise two young boys were sitting alone at a table. Naruto cursed Sasuke’s good looks when three young women sat on the bench with them and started making conversation while pouring sake in their glasses. One of them had pink hair and Naruto couldn’t stop thinking about Sakura. The Kunoichi was probably convinced Naruto was taking care of Sasuke, and here they were in a brothel with hookers and more sake than the whole village could swallow.

Just like he thought it would go, the girls were all about Sasuke’s dark eye and pouty mouth. But to his own surprise, one of them started a conversation with him. She had green irises, bigger than he had ever seen, a tan skin and long grey hair. Her pink lips were smiling at him and Naruto had trouble staying focused on what she was saying, the alcohol already flooding in his veins. Hey joyful laughter, the way her soft hands were caressing his wrist and her breath when she was whispering something in his ears … it was all too nice.

For a minute, Naruto thought about relaxing and giving up to that pretty girl named Arisa. But he was conscious enough to realise it was just a game for her, and he was on duty. As he was about to ask her some questions about the neighborhood - just like he had witnessed Jiraya-sensei do so many times - his eyes fell on the man in front of him. Sasuke was currently very laid back. His shirt was open, revealing more than just a glimpse of his milky skin. The pink-haired girl poured him another glass of sake and ordered some more while the blond by his other side started giggling in his ear, her hand on his thigh.

“It’s just a mission,” Naruto thought. But he had not heard Sasuke ask a single question since they walked into the bar. Was it a trick to bring him here? And for what? Making him understand there was no way he and him … Naruto shook the thoughts away. If Sasuke had something to say, he would already have said it. But still, why was he curving his lips that way and diving his dark eye into Naruto’s blue orbs when the pink-haired girl started playing with the opening of his shirt?

Arisa tried to draw the shinobi’s attention to her again by pushing through his sunny blond hair with her fingers. A chill crawled under his skin as he closed his eyes in bliss. Naruto had had very few affectionate encounters and the softness of that girl was a blessing. For a moment, he even thought of being selfish and forgetting about the mission. After all, what was one night of pleasure after years of devotion to the village? Arisa-chan seemed nice enough to guide him through the night, make him forget the dangers he was fighting every day. Was it what he really wanted? Certainly not. But he was here, in a brothel with his best friend, his guts tearing harder in sadness every time he was catching a glimpse of him. He was the hero of Konoha, he had mastered every kind of Ninjutsu he would need for the rest of his life and he was not 20 yet. His career as a shinobi was insured. He would be named Hokage when Kakashi-sensei resigned. Everything was well.

The only defective thing was in front of him. He looked at Sasuke for a minute. The shinobi was slowly becoming a different person: his cheeks were redder, his hair messier and there was almost nothing about him that Naruto recognized. A whole new man Naruto was desperate to know and talk to. To the girls’ absolute favor, he even started to touch them the way the blond had never seen him touch anyone. Their bodies pressing against Sasuke’s, the two hookers enjoyed every moment with him to the fullest. They probably suspected that the young and seductive man had a great amount of gold in his pockets.

The sight and sounds of the scene made his insides burn in anger and jealousy. Sasuke had the right to not like him this way, but he knew what he was feeling. There was no way he hadn’t sensed Naruto’s heart beating fast against his chest that morning. And there also was no reason for him to act like this in front of him... like it was nothing. Pushed by the heat of envy, Naruto made use of one look Sasuke gave him to defy the Uchiha. Without a word, he turned his attention to Arisa who was still talking to him and didn’t lose another second to crash his lips against hers.

The kiss was clumsy, a bit dry, but Arisa didn’t seem to mind. The girl laughed, falsely embarrassed and made Naruto drink some more. At this rate, he would not be able to stand on his two feet and perform any kind of act that night. But all he could think about was to prove Sasuke he couldn't care less about him. That was a lie, but for the first time, Naruto didn’t want to give in and show his friend that he mattered more than he should.

Now closer than ever, Arisa had laid her head against Naruto’s shoulder, wrapping herself around his chest. It felt strangely great to have someone cuddling him this way. He could almost close his eyes and stay like this to enjoy that moment of tenderness he had looked for for so long. The surrounding noises seemed to vanish. All the shinobi could hear was the buzzing of drunkenness in his ears and the melody of Arisa’s voice. While taking another sip of the strong and burning drink, his eyes met his friend’s gaze. The Uchiha was looking at him with his jaw tense and a darkness he had not seen in a long time. Slowly, the atmosphere became thicker, filled with chakra. The energy floating around them could be felt by both the Sennin shinobi and the Sharingan user. But neither of them would look down.

Naruto’s skin started to burn. The alcohol was now everywhere, making his brain hover in a pool of nonsense. Arisa’s hand was high on his thighs, and he had no idea what time it was and why he was here in the first place. On the other side of the table, Sasuke was in no better state. The blond noticed that his lips were redder and shining with wetness. One of the girls must have kissed him. Another wave of fire spread through Naruto’s body, and he kissed Arisa again, this time with more intensity. His heart was beating heavily in his chest. Fear, envy, anger … everything was mixed together and nothing made sense anymore. The kiss was great but didn’t quench his thirst. It made it grow bigger. 

As he struggled to keep his head straight, he felt something between his legs. Arisa’s tanned hand was now under the table, on his crotch, cupping it firmly enough to send shivers through his whole body. Naruto bit the inside of his cheeks to refrain from moaning and sighed. That wasn’t what he wanted. It felt good physically but his mind was too far away. He couldn’t go into a room with that girl, let her fuck him (because there was no way he would know what to do) and give her money for it.

Naruto slowly detached her hand from his bulge and looked at her in the eyes. She looked disconcerted and suddenly kind of moody. He understood that she was afraid to lose her paycheck for the night. He dived into his pocket and took out a few coins.

“Is that what you were expecting for the evening?”

“Y-yes but… aren’t we-”

“No. Sorry. Good night, Arisa-chan.”

Without another word, Naruto stood on his feet the best he could and walked to the exit of the bar. His sight was blurry, and he had tried to avoid Sasuke but the scenery was too explicit to be ignored. The Uchiha had watched the blond boy leave, his lips tangled with those of one of the girls as the other was already sucking at the base of his neck.

After walking for twenty minutes in the hallway, his head heavy on his shoulders, Naruto stopped and leaned against the wall. He had no idea where his room was, he also didn’t want to sleep in if Sasuke projected to bring the girls inside later. But his eyes were weighing way too much and there was no way he had the energy to go outside and wait for the morning to come. He wasn’t in the wrong there, he had every right to sleep and tell Sasuke to fuck elsewhere. As he started to look for his room again, a heavy rock fell in his chest.

When did he allow this to happen? Why would Sasuke put him through so much pain? Naruto bit his lower lip and rubbed his face. Maybe the Uchiha was really different from the boy he had known before… but he never thought Sasuke would become cruel this way. The rock in his chest climbed into his throat, forcing him to tense his jaw and swallow his tears. He had not said the words, not even in his mind. But he knew the truth about his feelings. Not admitting what he felt kept them unreal.

As he was about to lose his mind and punch a wall after looking for that freaking door for another round, he heard the sneering and familiar voice of Sasuke behind him.

“Are you lost, bibiri-kun?”

Now, Naruto wanted to punch him in the face. He turned around, flames dancing in his eyes. Rendered vulnerable thanks to the sake in his metabolism, Naruto had trouble keeping Kurama’s chakra in control. In fact, he would gladly use it to shut the Uchiha’s pretty mouth. But the young man had nothing clever to say. He had no idea how to be mean and get back at him for playing with his feelings. Instead, he kept hurting himself.

“So, are you coming to grab your stuff and rent a room to fuck a hooker or two?”

“Why do you care?” Sasuke chuckled while opening the door for the both of them.

“I don’t.”

It took Naruto quite a while to adjust his eyes to the darkness of the room and Sasuke didn’t seem in the mood to light it up. With uncertain gestures and a dizzy mind, Naruto opened his backpack and looked for his night clothes. His friend was still in the room, not moving a slight and Naruto’s mind heated some more. What was he waiting for? A fight?

Deciding he would act like the Uchiha wasn’t here, Naruto started to undress, his back turned to him. As he let his underwear slip down his muscular legs, the air thickened around him. Empowered by the liquor in his system, Naruto stayed naked while he poured lukewarm water into a large bowl to clean his face. He could feel the burn of Sasuke’s sight on his back and loins but ignored it. He knew the tension between them was a product of his drunk imagination, but he was intoxicated with the idea of his friend contemplating him. The blond reached for a yukata left by the hotel and put it on. After he hid his nudity, the shinobi turned to face his nemesis, drops of water gliding down his chin and firm chest. Sasuke had not moved. He had leaned his back against the door and was looking at him in the eyes. Naruto feared nothing now that the alcohol was on his side.

“You’re going to be late for your appointment.” He said with defiance.

“Do you want me to go?”

“Be my guest, Sasuke. You seemed to enjoy yourself back there.”

“You too, if I’m not mistaken. You didn’t seem so inexperienced with that brunette.”

“Her name’s Arisa.”

“Oh, I didn’t want to be rude to your new girlfriend.” He ironized.

“Don’t worry, you can keep your pale copy of Sakura-chan. I’m going to bed.”

“I prefer blonds.”

“Great.” Naruto threw dryly. “I believe the second one will do, then.”

Naruto didn’t get the time to go to bed. Sasuke moved so fast he barely saw him jump closer to him, pinning him to the wall in a loud and violent thud. His breath, charged with alcohol, intoxicated Naruto some more. The shinobi tensed and tried to find answers in the dark pit of Sasuke’s eye. When he tried to push him away, Sasuke pushed back, weighing on him with every limb of his body.

“What are you doing, asshole?”

“Why are you so mad, Naruto? I can see Kyuubi’s chakra all around you.” He said with his deep and calm voice, irritating the Jinchuuriki to his core.

“Leave me alone! Why would you care?”

“Are you jealous?” He asked, already knowing the answer. And his smart-ass smile made Naruto burst.

The tanned hand found Sasuke’s throat and started pressing hard around his trachea, teeth growing into fox’s canines and skin boiling with red chakra. That was not his Bijuu mode. It looked more like Naruto’s young fury, as if he couldn’t control his anger anymore. Sasuke smiled and untied Naruto’s fingers with the strength of his hand, burying him against the wall again with a thrust of his hips. His leg now between Naruto’s, he whispered in his ear: “try to push me away, little boy.”

At the sound of those words, Naruto’s anger grew bigger, slowly transforming into arousal. The more he rejected him, the more Sasuke stepped between his legs, opening the yukata wide and revealing his bare body. As he was about to close the silky material, Naruto’s hands were pinned to the wall, crowning his head. Now forced to look at Sasuke in the eyes, all he could see was lust. And before he could say a word, the Uchiha had his teeth sunk at the base of his neck. Naruto screamed in both pain and pleasure as his skin started to tear slightly. After inflecting him harm, Sasuke started a myriad of kisses, licks and nips under his jaw, all around his Adam’s apple and at the birth of his shoulder. Enslaved to his treatment, Naruto let his guard down, and the Bijuu’s chakra vanished. It was just him, his skin, sensitive and aching from the sudden hyperactivity, blood and alcohol running fast in his veins. The beating of his heart felt heavier everywhere in his body.

Sasuke knew what he was doing. His lips were on all the places Naruto wanted them. His chest rose higher and faster, and he closed his eyes hard, praying for all of this to be real and not a drunken fantasy. When the Uchiha had finally tasted every inch of Naruto’s throat he looked at him again, his pupil wildly wide.The blond said nothing, too weak and uncertain about the next step. All he wanted was to kiss him, taste his mouth and his tongue.

But expecting Sasuke to do as he was told would be a mistake. The raven-haired boy knew how to make himself desired and instead of kissing Naruto himself, he let go of his arms and waited for him to do something. “This is my turn.” He thought. “I’ve done it an hour ago. I can do it again.”

Noticing Sasuke was getting impatient, Naruto inverted the positions, pinning the boy hard against the wall. His lips, delicious and plump, called the blond who immediately crashed his against them. The feeling was indescribable. Sasuke had opened his mouth almost right away, offering his tongue to the shinobi, arching his body against his and moaning without any restrain in their embrace. Naruto was shaking, waves of pleasure hitting every part of his limbs and relishing at how natural and good it was. He couldn’t stop kissing Sasuke. It was physically impossible for him to let go of those lips that were giving him so much right now. The Uchiha pushed him slightly away with his head to breath and grinned with defiance in his eyes.

“You’re so hard, you’re going to come against my leg.”

Naruto grunted and pushed his hips a bit more, realizing Sasuke was right: his cock was so hard it hurt. Instead of being embarrassed, he chose to play Sasuke’s game. There was nothing to be ashamed of. And anyway, it was too late for that. He had been exposed with body and mind. 

“Are… are you going to do something about it?” He asked, trying to ignore his shyness crawling back.

“Move. On the bed.”

Naruto obeyed, his body led by his desires. He lied down, the yukata still hanging on his shoulders and closed his legs. He knew Sasuke could see in the dark and wasn’t comfortable enough to spread in front of him. But the Uchiha was different. Comfortable with his own nudity, he started to strip and let his clothes fall on the floor. The more he undressed, the more Naruto’s heart fastened its pace. It was real. Sasuke was here and he wanted him. His state was very similar to Naruto’s but he didn’t seem ashamed of it. Naruto could catch a glimpse of his strong and long body. Between his muscular and pale legs, his dick was throbbing proudly and he didn’t hide it. A sight that Naruto almost missed because the Uchiha was already laying on top of him. Spreading Naruto’s legs with his knees, Sasuke kissed him again and the simple touch of their bare skins had them both gasping.

“Do you feel it?” Sasuke asked.

Naruto nodded in silence. Every inch of him in contact with the other boy was swarming and burning like trillions of little fireworks. Noticing Naruto’s confusion, the Uchiha bit him under his earlobe to hear him gasp and bring him back to Earth. It took some time for the shinobi to relax as Sasuke was spreading him wider to lie comfortably. He placed his hands around Sasuke’s neck and shoulder, wishing he could touch all of him at the same time. The kisses were deep, wet and slow, arousing Naruto until he couldn't stop his hips from moving. Sasuke moaned as his cock was rubbing against Naruto’s groin. Carried away by the exquisite sounds his partner was making, Naruto grabbed his ass and squeezed it hard. Sasuke chortled and squirmed against him, rewarding him with licks on his ear.

It was all so good. The heat surrounding them, their skin glistening, their breath echoing in the silence of the room… it wouldn’t take long before Naruto would come. His hand still caging his firm ass, he pushed Sasuke against him, rougher. The Uchiha growled and bit him again, making his lower lip bleed a little.

“You’re going to come, Uzumaki. I want you to come against me.”

And just like that, Sasuke started moving faster and rougher against Naruto. The shinobi had never thought doing it like this could be so good. They were both covered with sweat, panting and moaning shamelessly. Naruto pressed his thighs harder, as if he was trying to merge with Sasuke. The sensation of their skin rubbing hard made them both lose their minds. Their boiling bodies found the right pace together until they couldn’t take it anymore and a white fluid squirted out of them. They screamed in unison, holding each other so close it bruised them. The sensation was like no other, taking them to another place only they knew.

Breathless and trembling, Sasuke fell on the side and closed his eyes to recover. Between his half-closed lids, Naruto caught a glimpse of him. Pale, long and lean body shining under the moonlight. The alcohol was still here, but the Ninja knew the dizziness had nothing to do with it. Now, he was drunk on another type of fluid. Sasuke was lazily smearing their mixed semen on his stomach, making Naruto bite his lip again. After a while, Sasuke smiled.

“Stop looking at me, pervert.”

“I like looking at you…”

“Naked?” He asked, spinning his head to look at him.

“All the time… but naked is special”. He managed to articulate.

Sasuke chuckled but this wasn’t his usual smirk. In fact, Naruto could almost see his cheeks blushing, and he decided he couldn’t leave things like that. Rolling on his side, Naruto kissed Sasuke’s shoulder gently and flew his hand down on his thigh, pulling it a little to get a better access to the object of his lust and curiosity. His lover stared wordlessly at his palm, waiting for something to happen. Timidly, Naruto grabbed his cock and started moving his knuckles around. He had no idea what to do, but feeling it between his fingers was empowering. Soft at the beginning, the limb quickly hardened and grew before him.

Mouth half opened, Naruto couldn’t take his eyes off Sasuke’s dick, watching how the velvet skin around the tip moved, and the beads of pre-cum started coating the pinky surface. Next to him, Sasuke had started to moan again and this time, he looked like he was ready to give up on control. The Uchiha let go of his restraint and, wrapping his hand around Naruto’s wrist, urged him to go faster. They were speechless but understanding each other. If the blond had been shy at first, his lover’s reactions made him gain confidence. Mesmerized by the sight of his body jolting with pleasure, Naruto laid kisses on his chest until he found a little pink bud on his pec. Intrigued by the sensation it would bring to Sasuke, he started licking and sucking on his nipple. When he heard the Uchiha curse, Naruto knew he was doing things right.

Now rendered fearless, Naruto was touching Sasuke everywhere, kissing his stomach, cupping his balls and pulling on his dick to make him come harder than before. He could feel in his bones what was the next move, what his partner needed most. But as he was about to give in and ask him about having proper sex, Sasuke pulled him between his legs with the strength of his narrow hips.

Confused and panting, Naruto looked at Sasuke in the eyes. His hand was on Naruto’s chest, caressing it, pinching a nipple slightly as his body was slowly aligning with his cock.

“But… I thought…”

“Fuck me… please…”

Sasuke’s voice had changed. He wasn’t arrogant or pretending to be the toughest in the room anymore. His tone was almost pleading, as if he had been waiting for this forever. The sight of him, submissive and so demanding, woke something Naruto didn’t know he had in him. The blond man leaned a little, leaving a light but thoughtful peck on his lips and looked down. How was he supposed to do this?

“I don’t… I have no idea… I can’t do this, Sasuke.”

“With those hips, of course you can.” The second said, smiling with confidence as he slipped his hand between them.

Naruto cursed when he felt Sasuke’s warm fingers wrapping around him and guiding him to where the heat was the most intense. He had no idea when and how this had started but the feeling of doing something forbidden made his fire burn stronger in his loins. The Uchiha wasn’t hesitating. Naruto could see it in his eyes, that was what he wanted with all his heart and body. His muscles tensed as he was holding himself above his lover, Naruto watched Sasuke fuck himself with his cock. At first, it was just the tip, but quickly, the heat swallowed Naruto entirely.

Motionless and breathless, Naruto felt drained of his blood. Everything came rushing down, called by Sasuke’s moist and sweet hole. When he opened his eyes again, he saw him wincing in pain. His guts torn apart, Naruto felt immediately guilty. As he was about to pull out, he felt a strong hand on his arm urging him to stay.

“Fuck, Sasuke. I can’t hurt you. We didn’t even prep you or-”

“It’s just the way I want it.” He said in a breath.

“You want to suffer?!”

“It’s us. This is how we do it. No preparation, no talk. Just finding ourselves through battle and pain.”

Naruto’s heart ached in his chest. Sasuke didn’t envisage their relationship differently. He liked them in agony, even when they were both naked and sharing the most intimate moment. In his eyes, the blond could read his “don’t go away” prayer. He leaned again to kiss him gently and waited just long enough, so he would be able to go sage mode. Sasuke frowned and brushed his fingers on the orange halo around his eyes. With his sensations multiplied, Naruto could feel every parcel of muscle in Sasuke’s body. His hands wandered around, looking for the right trick to make him feel better, less tense. As he was caressing and bruising his lips with his tongue and teeth, he felt the delicious tightness around his cock loosen a little. It allowed him to move slowly first, eliciting obscene noises out of Sasuke. The sensations tenfolded, Naruto was shaking to his very core. He wouldn’t be able to keep doing it like this if he wanted to come in more than thirty seconds.

Drunk with the sight and sounds of the Uchiha under him, Naruto gained confidence in himself and started moving deeper. The Uchiha spoke nonsense to his ears while opening wider and pulling on the blond hair at the base of his nape. Unable to stay focused, the sage mode was long gone when he straightened his body and grabbed the beautiful boy under him by the hips. Sasuke opened his legs wider for him and let him thrust in and out as if they had done it their entire lives. One hand travelled from the hip to Sasuke’s stomach to feel his abs jolt at every hit.

Sweat had covered their body again and Sasuke abandoned himself to pleasure. The blond had never seen him like this. Disheveled and vulnerable, the Uchiha had sent his arms backwards, hair stuck to his face and his mouth opened to catch some air. His voice kept calling Naruto, guiding him and encouraging him every time he hit the right spot. If love-making was like this, Naruto never wanted to leave Sasuke.

Feeling the tension in his stomach growing more and more, Naruto grabbed Sasuke’s dick to make them come together. Deliciously surprised, the Uchiha cried louder, tears filling his eyes. Pulling on his own hair, Sasuke laughed and screamed at the same time, as if it was too good to hold it together.

“Too much… Fuck… Naruto…”

His words didn’t make sense anymore but Naruto knew he was doing things right, especially when, driven by his sensations, Sasuke arched his body and punched the wall behind them. Buried deep inside him, Naruto’s brain stopped functioning and the little fireworks at the surface of their skins spread all around their bodies, bonding them like never before. Naruto felt the same relief extending inside him as when Sasuke had finally accepted his friendship. But this time, the sensation was also physical, as if all the pain in the world was disappearing forever. They hit climax together, Naruto pulling Sasuke against his chest to hold him tight and force him to never go away again.

Sasuke’s muscles tightened around his cock, milking him until there was nothing left. Nothing could make Naruto suffer when Sasuke was in his arms. Not battle, not the fear of death, not even the nails dug deep in his skin and scaring his back while Sasuke was still coming between them. After a last shout of pleasure - a sound that Naruto would never forget-, the Uchiha had laid his head against Naruto’s broad shoulder, his valid arm around his waist and his chest rising painfully. Naruto, too eager to have more of Sasuke, was still kissing the side of his neck and licking the pearls of sweat in the crook of his nape. He could smell him where the heat was the most intense and taste the salt on his skin. It was the greatest sensation in the world. He had found belonging in Sasuke’s body and soul.

In a last attempt of tenderness, the dark-haired shinobi kissed him lazily before falling on the futon. The sheets were a mess but Naruto had never felt so peaceful. He gently pulled out of his lover and stood up to find some water and a cleaning towel. He always thought that, the day he’d find someone, he’d be a good man with them. After what he had let him do to him, Sasuke deserved to be cherished.

He gave the wet towel to Sasuke and let him clean himself while he was giving him kisses and making him smile. Their embrace had started so roughly, it was a miracle they had not broken anything in the room. He wanted to ask him if he was okay but Sasuke pulled the blanket over them and brushed his lips with his thumb before closing his eyes, too exhausted to talk. Sometimes, a spasm of pleasure and tension still shook him and he hooked himself more to Naruto until there was not one inch of free space between them. Still, Naruto needed to voice his feelings.

“I… loved it.”

“Sleep, Naruto.”

“Did you?” He was hoping Sasuke could reassure him.

The sleepy boy next to him straightened a little and smiled.

“It doesn’t look like you to be worried like that.”

“I just want to be sure… it felt good for you too.” Naruto shrugged.

“You fucked me real good, Naruto.”

Naruto stammered and blushed as Sasuke was going back to sleep with a chuckle. He didn’t have to put it that way, but it made Naruto warm anyway. He had done right, he had made Sasuke feel good. Maybe even better than his friend wanted to admit… judging by his reactions and his screams, it was safe to think that he really enjoyed the moment. Naruto smiled for himself, feeling the ecstatic pride growing in his chest.

As his breath slowed down, Sasuke fell into a deep sleep. Naruto, still wide awake, watched him for a moment. With the tip of his fingers, he rearranged the midnight locks on his forehead and traced love lines on his face. He smiled thinking how cheesy he looked right now, wondering if he could kiss Sasuke without waking him up. Laying his heavy head on the pillow, Naruto pulled Sasuke and held him against his chest. He would give the entire world for time to stop or to his lover to realize his place was by his side in Konoha. The thought of having the talk with Sasuke brought chills to Naruto who preferred to close his eyes and let the sweetest slumber take him away in the land of dreams. He wouldn’t give up on him, anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I started writing FF, I was very uncomfortable with smut scenes but... I must say I'm not mad about this one. Can't wait to read your thoughts!
> 
> Have a nice week-end!  
> xx


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!  
> I hope everyone is doing alright!  
> I am so glad you liked the previous chapter, it means the world to me.   
> Now, back to the story, back to Sasuke being... Sasuke.

When Naruto woke up, Sasuke was still here. The blond was spooning him from behind, his arm tightly wrapped around his chest and his mouth in the crook of his neck. His head heavy and still foggy with alcohol, he winced and buried his nose deeper in the dark mane before him. Sasuke wasn’t awake yet but he could feel his body warming up by the minute, a sign that he was closed to open his eyes. The shinobi enjoyed the last moments before his weary friend would push him away, as he knew he would. Everything still seemed like a dream but the memory of that night was vivid in his mind.

It was a comforting thought to realize his feelings were somehow shared. He wasn’t an expert on the matter, but he was pretty sure sex wasn’t always like that… otherwise everyone would do it 24/7. Sasuke had to admit how glorious it was when they were together. The bond in their blood, the history they shared and the pure love… all of this increased their need to be close. 

The room was warm and their clothes were still scattered on the floor, a proof of what had happened. As Sasuke was slowly waking up, Naruto stopped brushing his lips against him, afraid it might make the Uchiha run away. The black-haired boy caressed Naruto’s hand around his waist and sighed. Was it a good sigh? Naruto’s heart was pounding hard as he thought about Sasuke’s words, during the night.

“Morning, Sasuke.”

The Uchiha growled before turning slowly to face him and hide against his neck. “Not bad” Naruto thought, already brushing the wild locks of hair on top of Sasuke’s head. Coiled against him, Sasuke let his fingers explore Naruto’s body. The Uzumaki knew his friend wasn’t completely awake because such tenderness wasn’t his regular behavior. And for Naruto, it was a chance to feel him, to keep him a little bit longer in this state. While Sasuke was still half asleep, the shinobi started nuzzling his face, kissing him on the cheeks, jaw, lips and nose. His heart still pounding heavily in his chest, he realized how much he loved doing this and how sweet life would be if Sasuke would let him love him like that. The dark-haired boy answered to the pressing of lips against him and offered his tongue for a lazy smooch. But as his senses were slowly waking up, so did his mind. When he fully opened his eyes, Sasuke looked unreadable, once again. To break the ice, Naruto decided to talk about something unrelated.

“Did the old lady at Jofuku healed you?” The blond asked, noticing Sasuke’s wound on his side under his fingers.

“Yes… why?” He answered, his voice still hoarse.

“She knew you were from Konoha thanks to your headband. I wanted to know how…”

“I came in a pretty bad shape.”

“That’s not something you should tell me if you want me to leave you alone on the road, you know?”

Sasuke straightened up, now holding himself above Naruto, the sheet slipping down on his body. The shinobi couldn’t take his eyes off of him and his hands were already on his carved chest.

“I can take care of myself, Naruto.” He said in a breath, chuckling as he watched his friend blush and bite his lower lip.

Sasuke got up, brought the sheet with him to cover himself and watched Naruto’s tanned and shivering body with lust but no smile on his face. The blond sat cross-legged and stretched his arms, delighted by the soft morning light and the sight of a disheveled Sasuke rehydrating himself after their long night. If only he could be as tender as he was hot, things would be easier.

“You should drink too”. He said. “Alcohol makes you thirsty.”

“I know…”

Sasuke chuckled and Naruto felt like wings were growing on his back. Maybe things weren’t that bad and he was just so afraid of losing him that he overinterpreted everything Sasuke was doing. They were about to joke about this and the talk won’t be so bad after all. Naruto wanted to test the water so he got up, took Sasuke’s glass in his hand, drank his water and kissed him gently all the while looking at him in the eyes.

“What are you doing?” Sasuke asked, blushing slightly as Naruto kept kissing the corner of his mouth, his nose and throat.

“What I want… I’m taking what’s mine…”

Sasuke was struggling very hard to keep his hand away from Naruto. His knuckles whitening against the edge of the dresser, he kept his legs closed, as if one step from Naruto could break his walls. Eager to kiss him harder, Sasuke bit Naruto’s lip and pushed him slightly away with his hand on his chest. But he didn’t look at him in the eyes like Naruto wanted him to. The Uchiha started dressing up in silence. “Maybe it was too much”, Naruto thought.

Now back in the streets, they had finally found someone they could talk to. After long negotiations (Naruto had forbade Sasuke to use Genjutsu on civilians), a woman from a tea shop had accepted to speak to them. The guys they were looking for all worked for one man, a certain Daitan Akito. Their main project was to collect artefacts from the war in the hope they could sell it to the best offer. Those objects were very valuable, highly dangerous and of course, expensive. Akito was ready to lose all of his men to protect his business running and the money coming in. The main problem was that no one could control who would acquire such weapons and there wasn’t a single kingdom who would let those transactions occur. The memory of the war was too vivid, the casualties still too painful.

Naruto thought about the friends he had lost, the bodies of countless shinobi scattered in the ruins of the fights… he had to protect everyone, not just Konoha. It was his duty as a ninja and future Hokage. Seated at a dango stall the blond had dragged them in, Sasuke and Naruto were talking about their mission. Since this morning, they had avoided the subject burning on their lips: them. 

In a way, Naruto was also embarrassed to bring the topic on the table too. As tough and brave as he was, he wasn’t an expert in relationships… And he had no idea how to talk about it with actual words. Especially since all they shared was sex. Naruto blushed a little, lost in his thoughts as he was drinking his tea while Sasuke was looking at a map. The Uzumaki looked at the beautiful dark hair falling on his forehead and wished he could brush it back, as a boyfriend would do.

Sasuke wasn’t good with words either, but it seemed to Naruto that he had improved and was more experienced than him. And there was last night, what he had done and said. Not when they were making love, but after. Awakened by soft fingers stroking his hair, Naruto had kept his eyes closed for a minute before realizing that Sasuke was talking to him. The Uchiha assumed Naruto was still asleep and his voice was so low, it was a miracle even the blond had heard him.

“I wish I could tell you… so many things.” He had whispered. “But I can’t. You wouldn’t understand. You would say I’m a coward. And I am.”

Naruto had struggled very hard to not open his eyes, hug Sasuke tightly and ask him what was hurting him again. But he knew that his friend would shut immediately. So he stayed silent, his eyes closed and his breath slow and deep. Sasuke cleared Naruto’s face, brushing the blond locks with daintiness. His touch, so subtle and warm, had made millions of chills bloom all over Naruto’s skin.

“Thank you for being here, for giving me so much. I don’t deserve you. I never will.”

Sasuke had moved slightly next to him, making the mattress sag as he had leaned over Naruto to brush the tip of his nose with his. It had taken Naruto all the strength in the world to not close the distance between their faces and kiss his lips with everything he had. Sasuke had not sealed their mouths. He had just kept grazing at him, warming the small space between them with his breath. Naruto’s heart had started a race again and right before he thought his body would betray him, Sasuke had parted and lied on his side of the futon with a painful sigh. When he had been certain Sasuke wasn’t looking at him, the young man had opened his eyes to watch him in silence. What was he hiding from him? Why would it be so difficult to tell him what was weighing on his heart?

Now back on the road, Sasuke’s words were spinning inside Naruto’s brain. He wasn’t supposed to have heard what his friend had said during the night, but he couldn’t ignore the fact that something was holding him back. And it was his business too since they were now involved together. He chose to speak while they were walking after their lunch. Sasuke wasn’t so moody with something in his stomach.

“Are we going to talk about us?” His eyes were not leaving the dark shinobi next to him.

“I don’t know if we should.” He dryly answered.

“Why? I thought… I thought it was great.” Naruto said, not letting Sasuke undermine him. “Not just the sex but… the fact that you and I, we-”

“The sex was great. That’s all we have to say.”

Naruto pressed his lips together. Was he allowed to make a scene? Yes. Would it make Sasuke put distance between them? Probably. But that was a battle he was ready to fight. Again. 

“Why did you provoke me last night? Did you just want to have sex? Why didn’t you do it with those girls?”

“Too many questions, Naruto.”

“Well, answer me. I just want to know.” He said, softening his voice.

But Sasuke dismissed him with an arrogant hand wave. “Things won’t be easy” he thought. Sasuke was a tough nut to crack, especially when he had to lay his feelings on the table. Maybe Naruto had to try another method. They stopped by a small hotel in the mountains but before Sasuke got in, the blond grabbed his wrist and made him turn so they would face each other. The shinobi swallowed hard as the glint of anger sparkled in Sasuke’s dark eye. But he wasn’t afraid of him. He had never been. Losing him on the other hand…

“Did it matter to you? Because it mattered to me, Sasuke.” He said, ready to yield, once more.

“Why are you so pressed about this?! It’s not like we’re dating.”

“Why? Would it be so awful?” He spat, his ego stung to its core.

Sasuke laughed and this time, it wasn’t one of those complicit sounds. He was back on his bullshit. 

“I thought we were passed your obnoxious behavior toward me. I guess I was wrong.” Naruto sighed, annoyed and already tired.

“So, you’re mad at me because we slept together and it didn’t mean to me what it meant to you?”

A kunai hit Naruto right through the heart when Sasuke kicked him with his words. He had never thought the Uchiha could still be so cruel, even when Naruto had nothing to be sorry for. His words from last night kept bouncing in his mind and he knew Sasuke had to be lying when he was saying that he felt nothing. He just had no idea why he would play with him like this. 

“You feel the way you feel, Sasuke. I can’t control that” He started, his voice slowly losing that bright flame it always had. “If you don’t love me, that’s fine. But I thought you respected me enough to not play with my feelings.”

His heart pounding hard in his chest, Naruto looked at the tip of the mountain behind Sasuke to avoid his gaze. He had no idea what to say and how to touch his friend’s heart without bursting into tears right now.

“Come on, Naruto. It was meant to be.” Sasuke stated, with an obnoxiously weary tone in his voice. “I was just curious about where our bond could lead us. You really think Hashirama and Madara didn’t bring the fight to their beds too?”

Naruto flinched and defied him with one look. 

“So, that’s just what it was to you then?” He retorted, finding the strength to bite back again. “A game? Like a new jutsu you wanted to try? ”

“Yes. Maybe.”

The blond bit his cheeks. This Sasuke couldn’t be the same who shared his bed last night. He couldn’t say soft things into his ears when it was dark and rip his heart out of his ribcage the next day. Naruto wanted to tell him he was breaking his heart, but his pride didn’t let him do it. If Sasuke wanted them to fight endlessly, he was going to have it.

“Well, look at how it ended for the First Hokage and Madara. I won’t let you destroy what we have, even if it means I have to slice your other arm.”

Naruto was panting and doing his best to not lose control of himself again. But the pain inflicted by Sasuke was completely different from what he had already done to him. This time, he had played with his feelings and kept the truth out of the equation. He knew Sasuke was troubled, but he had never lied to him. 

“You serve me the same old song for almost ten years. This is not a fight, Naruto. We’re alright.”

“I’m not. What happened to your words at the Valley of the End? What happened to your confession about lifting the pain off my shoulders? Do you want to be the one to harm me now?”

“I was not trying to hurt you. We just did what we did. Nothing else.”

“I don’t believe you. You are an asshole, you always were. But I never thought that you were also a liar and a coward. But you’re right, Sasuke. You _are_ a coward.”

Sasuke stayed silent for a moment, slowly realizing Naruto was repeating what he had whispered to him during the night. Naruto was fighting hard the urge to sit down and let anxiety wash his thoughts away. His heart was still racing fast and he had trouble breathing. His hand squeezed his jacket against his chest and he pressed his teeth together. So that was what heartache felt like?

“Naruto…” Sasuke tried, as he came closer to calm him down.

“Don’t!” He shouted. “You’ve done enough!”

His will to fight was slowly leaving Naruto. He didn’t want to confront Sasuke again. He didn’t have the strength. Not when he was lying and playing with his feelings like that. Before the Uchiha could say another word, Naruto grabbed his backpack laid at his feet and put it on. He had to leave quickly. His friend - or whatever was their relation now - didn’t try to follow him while he sped up his pace through the woods. Naruto couldn’t stand being there anymore, as if his skin would burst into flames if he stood too close to Sasuke. It was a stupid and selfish reaction, but that was the first one of his entire selfless existence.

Now in a rush to disappear, Naruto jumped from branch to branch, trying to listen to the whistle of the wind in his ears rather than his thoughts of agony. He had left Sasuke for the first time in his life. He had given up. It was too painful. The shinobi had betrayed Sakura, he had betrayed himself and for what? A fuck in a brothel. He would never be able to have the same relationship with the Uchiha ever again and it was because of his friend’s manipulation and his own naive soul. What had happened to him?

The silence on his way back draped Naruto’s mind, making room for his thoughts to bloom. He didn’t stop to sleep, eat or bathe for the whole journey, too hurried to find his tiny apartment back. Using his Bijuu mode allowed him to run faster. The young man felt like everything inside him was broken and fragile. If he had stopped, he wouldn’t have been able to carry on with his trip, too confused by his emotions. 

The pain was here, but he didn’t allow himself to think about it, except when he was noticing Sasuke’s hawk flying above his head. The Uchiha probably wanted to make sure Naruto was getting home safely. But nothing sweet the wanderer would do now could soothe Naruto’s heart. He had thought about going back countless times, to find Sasuke and force him to admit he had wronged him. But he had carried his friend for too long on his back. He wouldn’t go on like that if it meant he had to disrespect himself again. The idea of abandoning him made the young man sick to his stomach but Naruto had to be stronger than that. His only moment of relief came when the hills around Konoha appeared. He was finally home.

The two shinobi at the gates didn’t even see him when he entered. Naruto was too fast and it was better like that. If someone knew he was back, he would be called to Kakashi’s office to tell everything he knew. For now, all he wanted was a shower, a bowl of instant ramen and his bed.

Two days had passed when he finally got out of his lair. Those forty eight hours had been painful and gloomy but necessary. The young man was grieving something that only existed in his heart. But so what? At least, he had touched what happiness and belonging could feel like. And even if that happened only for one night, he would have lived it. The shinobi thought about his parents who gave their lives for him, his sensei, who sacrificed himself too… None of them had a single drop of regret. He wouldn’t either. He would live his life like he always did: fully and bravely. If that meant non-reciprocal love, then so be it. He was proud of feeling his heart swell when thinking about Sasuke. Nothing could take that away from him.

Naruto went directly to the Hokage's tower to report from his trip. His former sensei welcomed him with his usual jaded look but as Naruto was giving all the intels they managed to gather, his uncovered eyes grew more concerned.

“Naruto. What is wrong with you?” He finally asked.

“Me? Nothing.” The shinobi lied.

“You look...exhausted.”

Naruto scratched the back of his head with a silly smile and dismissed Kakashi’s concern.

“Ah! That must be the trip, Kakashi-sensei. I just need a bowl of ramen and everything’ll be better!”

“Mh. I’m not sure you’re telling me everything. Sasuke’s hawk arrived two days ago, saying you might be back. Why are you late?”

“Like I said, I’m tired. I overslept. I just need to eat. Anyway, bye Kakashi-sensei!”

Naruto was out of the Hokage’s office in no time. He knew the former leader of team 7 didn’t believe him. But what happened between him and Sasuke was a private matter and he had no intention of sharing anything. Not that he was ashamed… but maybe Sasuke was. And they still needed to sort things out before everything should be hidden, buried and forgotten. Besides, he’d have to talk to Sakura soon and pretend everything was fine between the two friends. She didn’t need to be worried or heartbroken like he was. He would leave the pleasure to Sasuke to announce to her he wasn’t going to marry her… Or maybe he would, just to be free of Naruto.

The young shinobi sighed in despair and went directly to one of the training fields. Working out would keep his mind busy in no time. Besides, Sasuke had been right: he had lost his touch after so many months in the village. Accompanied by Konohamaru, Naruto started training again and teaching new techniques to the young ninja. 

It took lots of negotiations for Naruto to convince Kakashi to let him go on missions again. But after promising him that he would teach at the academy whenever he was here, he was out on the field again. Day after day, Sasuke was slowly leaving his thoughts to make room for what mattered: survive during battles. At least, that’s what he thought. Because as soon as Naruto was back in his apartment, all he could think about was him. What was he doing? Where was he? Was he safe? Was he thinking of him? Naruto had rarely felt so lonely at night. And the young man knew a thing or two about loneliness.

Sakura had sensed something was off with Naruto but she hadn’t asked what, maybe she already knew. She was a clever girl with good intuition. Even if he wanted to confide, Naruto never found the strength to tell her the truth. Perhaps it was better like that. She didn’t need to know something that might hurt her, especially when there was a huge chance neither Naruto nor Sasuke themselves would speak about it ever again. 

In his letters to Konoha, Sasuke didn’t mention Naruto anymore, simply giving news about his quest. He had found the nest of muggers and defeated them, just the way everybody knew he would. When Naruto heard the news, it was with a heavy heart that he faked a smile. Not that he wasn’t happy his friend was safe, but they were supposed to do this together. That evening, he had dismissed his friends’ invitation for a barbecue and locked himself in his tiny apartment. He wanted to talk to him so badly but there was no way he could. Sasuke wasn’t there and when he would be, the Uzumaki feared nothing good would come out of their talk. He tried to write him a letter, but after the tenth attempt, he had to face reality: he was a good speaker, but his writing skills were shitty.

Day after day, he lived his life just the way he always had. Naruto had thought he was being cautious with his emotions. But when Shikamaru and Kiba knocked on his door on a Sunday morning, he understood that he was up for an intervention. The two boys announced they were taking him on a fishing trip. Lee, Chôji, Shino and Sai were already by the river, preparing everything for their arrival. Naruto smiled thinking he was lucky his friends were here. He didn’t need to tell them anything, they knew when he was feeling down. Probably because Naruto, with his flamboyant personality, had become the heart of Konoha. Each of his absence was noticed by the villagers and his mood swings wouldn’t go unnoticed. 

“How did you all manage to have a day off?” He asked when they were all sitting by the river, their bare feet dangling in the fresh water.

“A little trick from the right arm of Rokudaime.” Shikamaru winked.

Naruto sighed with content. A day away from his responsibilities, away from his dark thoughts. The sun was shining bright and he enjoyed every bit of ultraviolet on his skin. A warm breeze brushed through his hair and he opened himself a can of beer. Alcohol was new to him, but he enjoyed a glass or two when he was with friends… or with one particular friend.

Before he let his thoughts linger again, Chôji offered him a bag of potato chips. The fishing rods were set up and all they had to do was to wait for the fish to bite. He looked at Kiba and Akamaru jumping in the river to catch a large trout with a scream of victory. The blond watched everyone: he wouldn’t exchange them for the world. His smile saddened a little when he thought about Neji. The Hyuuga had never said it, but Naruto knew he liked being around the boys. He promised himself to go to the Ninja Fourth Great War Memorial in the evening to light a candle for him. 

As they were digesting and lying against the rocks, warmed by the sun, Shikamaru finally decided to speak up.

“Naruto… what’s going on with you?”

“What do you mean?” He asked, knowing exactly what his friend was referring to.

“Since you’ve been back you seem a little off… That doesn’t look like you.”

“Nothing. I’m just tired.”

“You’ve been harassing Rokudaime to go on missions for months and you’re telling us you’re tired?” Kiba said, throwing a tiny pebble at Naruto’s face.

Naruto wanted to confide. He truly did. But that wasn’t his decision to take alone.

“Is it about Sasuke?” This time, the voice came from Sai. Damn, that boy was new to human relations but he never missed.

“Maybe…”

“What has that rat done this time?” Kiba insisted.

“Nothing. We’re good.”

“I think Naruto wants to keep things for himself.”

“Thanks Chôji.” He answered while giving back a soft smile to the gentle Akimichi.

Shikamaru took another bite of the dango he had brought and pressed his lips together.

“All we want you to know, Naruto, is that the villagers are counting on you. So you can’t let them down.”

“I know that, Shikamaru.” He said, a bit annoyed.

“But… you can count on us if you need anything. We’re your friends and we’re ready to hear anything.”

The message was clear and Naruto knew he could lean on them whenever he needed to. That was what was important. The shinobi turned his head to face Shikamaru who was looking at the white clouds in the blue sky. A shy “thank you” escaped his lips and the Nara boy shifted his head to smile at his friend. 

“There’s nothing you guys can do, anyway.”

“We can kick the shit out of the Uchiha. I wanted to do that forever!” Kiba joked and they all laughed.

“I’m not sure Sasuke is going to let you do it, Kiba. He’s a fierce rival!” Lee shouted with a dreamy look in his eyes.

Naruto answered with a grin. Talking about Sasuke like they would with any of the Konohan shinobi was refreshing. He was part of the club again, even though he wasn’t there. If they were all still uncertain about him, they all knew, deep down, that Uchiha Sasuke was trustworthy again. 

After that day by the river, Naruto had gone back on missions, giving everything he could to represent Konohagakure and the Hokage abroad. It had been three months since he had left Sasuke in the Land of Frost and for all he knew, the Uchiha had forgotten about their little mistake. Even if his mind was telling him to move on and start looking for a date - a real one - his heart refused him to do so. And it wasn’t like Naruto didn’t have a choice. He could pick any girl in the village to make her his. Since he had gone back from the war as a hero, the blond boy had become very popular. Only Ino and Sakura stayed unbothered, probably because they knew him so well.

He knew his best option was Hinata. The girl was sweet, caring and ready to sacrifice herself for him. But as deep and honest as his affection for Hinata was, she wasn’t making his heart beat the way Sasuke did. He respected her too much to make her believe he was infatuated like she was. Marrying for the sake of it was out of the question. Everything he had done in his life had meaning and purpose. He counted on pursuing this lifestyle on the field and in his private life too. Maybe the Uchiha was right after all: they were descendants of the first Ninja, they were meant to be attracted to each other like a moth to the flame. Their destiny was linked forever. But if that wasn’t love then, what was it? If Naruto wasn’t supposed to spend the rest of his life in Sasuke’s arms, why had it felt so good? Why was his heart so broken now that he was alone?

One morning, Naruto dried his face after his shower and looked at the sky outside his window. Something in the air was different.... He still had no mission for today but he was getting ready anyway. You could never know when a shinobi might be called for by the Hokage and he hoped today he would be. Something told him he needed to get out of the village that day. Right after he cleaned the chopsticks he had used to eat his ramen, a folded paper entered by the interstice of his open window and landed on the dinner table. He unfolded the letter with a smile, ready to know everything about their next assignment. But his heart skipped a beat when he realized what Sai had written on that note.

Sasuke was back in Konoha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're new to my stories, just know that nothing comes easy with me... but it always ends well. So I hope it wasn't too painful to read!  
> Thank you again for staying with me through this adventure!!  
> xx


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there!  
> It's almost 1 am here and I am updating late because... I don't manage my time correctly. I had already written this chapter and thought it was okay but with the feedbacks and the story growing in my mind, I thought it needed some new arrangements. So, what was supposed to be a 3k chapter is now almost 7k long. I know readers aren't gonna complain about that so I hope you'll be satisfied.
> 
> xx

Blades were flying, woods breaking and drops of sweat were gliding down Naruto’s temples. It was 5 in the afternoon and the shinobi had spent the entire day on the training field. Konohamaru was long gone now and he was alone. Shuriken practice was useless for him, he had passed the need to train for those skills a long time ago. But at least, it didn’t require him too much energy, just focus. And today, focus was what Naruto needed the most.

It had taken all the energy in the world to avoid the Hokage tower. He didn’t want to run into Sasuke, or rather: he wanted to, but he knew it would have been pointless. Because if Naruto saw his friend, he would give in immediately. He had to test him first. Was Sasuke ready to apologize? Did he still want him in his life after what had happened?

Naruto drank a big gulp of fresh water and wiped his mouth with his sleeves. The sun was very low in the sky, coloring the atmosphere with a diffuse orange light. It was his favorite time to practice. It was quiet, animals were starting to come out and the scenery was just too beautiful. But it was also very lonely. Naruto shook his head and started throwing the blades again. The trunks in front of him were about to break but he didn’t mind. It was the reflection of a long day of training and the Ninja liked that spirit.

He adjusted his headband on his forehead before it glistened because of the sweat and aimed again. But a metallic sound broke the peace of his lonely training and deviated his shuriken from its trajectory. Two blades fell in the grass and Naruto followed the path where the second one had come from. A dark shape was standing by the edge of the forest, hair flying in the wind. Sasuke was looking at him, impassive. 

Naruto opened his mouth and for a second he had no idea if he was about to shout angrily or call him with a warm and welcoming tone. His voice stayed stuck in the back of his throat and he nodded before grabbing another shuriken to resume his practice. Naruto was used to having an audience when he was training. He was teaching at the academy sometimes and some of the students loved to watch him and take notes. But the Uchiha’s gaze was different. Insolent, intrusive and burning. If he was just standing here and doing nothing, Naruto wanted him gone.

After a long minute, Sasuke walked in his direction and it took many efforts for the shinobi to not deviate his sight from the targets. As if he had no physical boundaries anymore, Sasuke stood very close to Naruto, his cloak brushing the blond’s ankles. The young man could almost feel his breath at the base of his nape, especially since he had cut his hair shorter. Confused by his presence, Naruto failed with three throws in a row and cursed loudly, his blood boiling and face reddened by pride.

“Do I upset you?”

There was no possible mistake: Sasuke wasn’t going to apologize. He still had that sassy, insufferable tone and if Naruto used to laugh about it, now it tasted bitter in his mouth. The shinobi drank again and spat at Sasuke’s feet, ignoring him royally. Instead of being offended, like he would have usually been, Sasuke hummed. The sound of that typical Uchiha snark made the hairs at the base of Naruto’s nape bristle. From anger or arousal, he had no idea.

“Are you catching up on your skills? Because if I remember correctly, last time you weren’t on top of your game.”

Whether because he wanted to annoy Naruto or force him to talk by provoking him, Sasuke was heading in the wrong direction. The blond smiled but his jaw stayed tense and before the Uchiha could say another word, he sent a kunai flying in his direction. The blade flew right against Sasuke’s neck, making his hair rustle and notched his earlobe. A small and crimson drop formed at the tip of his skin before falling heavily on his shoulder. Sasuke turned his head slowly and collected the dark liquid with his finger. He was still so calm, that Naruto fell immediately ashamed for being so childish. 

They stared at each other for a moment, leaves flying all over them. When the last one hit the ground, the two shinobi jumped backwards, already holding a weapon and standing in fighting positions. In the distance, Naruto watched Sasuke activate his Sharingan, the Rinnegan also beaming behind his dark locks. He didn’t want to fight or hurt him, but he was lost for words. He had already said what he wanted and Sasuke didn’t want to give it to him. So, they were about to fight again. Maybe physical pain would make them vulnerable enough so Sasuke would finally talk.

Time seemed to have stopped. They scanned one another for a couple of minutes, or more. Naruto had stopped counting. His heart was pounding hard and he was ready to release his Bijuu chakra at any moment now. He waited a little longer. The vibration of his own breathing buzzed at his ears and there was not another sound around them. As if the entire world had gone quiet. Sasuke was always the one to jump at his throat first. Probably because he wasn’t afraid to hurt him. But the Uchiha didn’t move, his knuckles still whitening around the handle of his katana. If Naruto attacked now, he would be perfectly on time to surprise him from behind. 

But his legs refused to move. His arms refused to throw the kunai in Sasuke’s direction. His muscles were tense and painful. The tension he had kept in his heart for so many weeks released itself in his entire body, making it impossible for him to attack the one he loved. The tall and dark silhouette in front him didn’t seem bellicose anymore. He was tired of fighting him over and over again. Anger had vanished, Naruto was just heartbroken. 

When he swallowed and finally allowed himself to breathe deeply, the Uzumaki realized that he was crying. Warm and heavy tears were falling on his cheeks. His sight became blurry and before he could avoid it, he tasted the salt on his tongue and his lungs tightened again. He didn’t want to burst in front of Sasuke. The boy had seen enough of his sorrow for today. His arm finally relaxing, Naruto put the kunai back in his pocket, grabbed his water bottle and walked away. He didn’t want to look back, didn’t want to see the confusion on Sasuke’s face. He wanted to run away and not tell a word to anyone about this. Naruto sped up his pace, ignoring the villagers greeting him and landed into his apartment in no time. Safety, finally.

Lying on top of his sheets, Naruto let the tears glide down his cheeks and temples until his face and pillow were entirely wet. The young man had not cried out loud for so long but he realized how long he had held everything inside him. Sure, he was known for tearing up easily. It was because Naruto was a generous boy. There wasn’t such a thing as too much. Too much laugh, too much joy, too much strength, too much loyalty, too many friends… There was room for everyone and everything in Naruto’s life. He was never running away. Except now. It was the second time he was running away from Sasuke. What did he expect anyway? That the Uchiha would suddenly change? Be caring and love him devotedly? It was not going to happen. Naruto was still grieving. He would give the entire world for Sasuke to force himself inside his apartment and beg him to forgive him. That wasn’t going to happen either. 

Maybe Sasuke would leave in the morning and he had lost his only chance to talk to him. Naruto closed his eyes until his lashes hurt. He had to convince himself that it wasn’t his fault and responsibility any longer. Wrapping himself with his blanket, Naruto let his thoughts travel through his mind without stopping them. Maybe the answer would come to him. 

But it didn’t. In the morning, after a very short nap around 5 am, Naruto was still clueless about what he wanted from Sasuke. One thing was sure, though: he needed an apology. He could live without Sasuke as a lover if the Uchiha acknowledged he had hurt him. But since he had no idea where his friend was today, he decided to be selfish a little bit longer. Naruto left his apartment before noon and headed to the trail through the park.

After a long day by himself in the glade, Naruto had let his feet lead him to the lake. The sky had turned pink but he felt no joy at how lovely it looked. The pebble he had thrown into the lake bounced three times before drowning. Naruto had never been good at ricochet. But he’d rather stay here than join whatever reunion was happening in the village. The sun was disappearing behind the treetops and the water had started to turn dark. He had avoided confronting reality for almost two days now. Naruto had never been a coward, he was far from it. And it wasn’t cowardice that had kept him hidden… It was pain. 

Sooner or later, he’d have to face Sasuke, but he wanted to be the one he’d look for and not the other way around, for once. Naruto stretched his legs and yawned a little, exhausted from doing nothing but thinking about what his life was like. He had no idea why Sasuke would change his way of thinking now that they were supposed to be on good terms. A voice in the back of his head told him it was better to leave him alone and give Sakura-chan a chance to show the Uchiha she was the right fit for him. 

He sighed again and rubbed his face with his palms, barely believing he would think something like that. His heart was broken and he still wished both of his friends happiness, even if that meant he was ending up alone or with the wrong person. With his head hidden in his hands, the blond let silent tears roll between his fingers and drop in the lake like a drizzle on a cold Fall evening. It was becoming a habit now. As he looked at his reflection in the water, cheeks wet and eyes red with sorrow, a dark silhouette appeared by his side. 

He had not heard him come. Without moving, his eyes flicked to his right to look at Sasuke’s face mirrored on the surface of the lake. He had found him again. This wasn’t very surprising since Naruto was seated on the river bank where the young Uchihas used to practice their Katon. Fifteen years ago, that was where he used to see Sasuke when he was walking home. Both alone, both acknowledging one another in their loneliness.

Naruto didn’t bother wiping his tears away. What for, anyway? Sasuke knew he had hurt him. The Uchiha sat by his side and let his feet dangle. They were almost touching the surface now that he was so tall. His forehead was hidden under a white bandage, his hair longer than ever. Naruto kept looking at his friend through his reflection but Sasuke was staring at the real him. 

“I haven’t seen you all day.”

Naruto wasn’t sure how and what he should respond. Being angry would show a great amount of immaturity. Between that and yesterday, it was probably better to stay silent. 

“Your team was worried.” Sasuke tried again, his voice softening.

“I was here. I’m fine.” He answered dryly.

Sasuke’s face was, as usual, unreadable. The Jinchuuriki had no idea what was going on inside his head. And as clumsy and cold as Sasuke was, they both knew he wouldn’t be the one to make the first step. Tired and jaded, Naruto didn’t ease the task for him. The night was falling and none of them had spoken again yet. Though, Naruto couldn’t stop watching Sasuke's face mirrored in the water. The Uchiha was staring back, his lips pressed together. He looked like he was always on the verge of saying something but nothing broke the heavy silence around them. Losing patience, Naruto breathed in, annoyed by Sasuke’s cowardice. 

When a chill ran through his body, the young man stood up and walked away. His hands in his pockets, head low, Naruto was heading to his apartment, not feeling like talking to anyone or even eating. He could feel that this time, his friend had not given up and secretly, it warmed his heart to feel his sight not leaving his back. In the busy streets of Konoha, Sasuke was following the boy in the orange tracksuit. Some heads turned as they noticed the shadow behind Naruto, some whispered that the Uchiha was back but the both of them ignored the rumor spreading through the town. 

When he arrived in front of his door, Naruto looked at the shape of Sasuke’s cloak dancing in the wind in the hallway of his building. He wasn’t going to let the Uchiha outside and so, he walked in and left the door open behind him. Naruto let his bare feet naturally lead him to the bathroom where he locked himself to take a shower. He needed to wash away his thoughts and have a clear mind to face Sasuke.

A cloud of steam followed him as he walked in the kitchen, wearing a white t-shirt and grey shorts. His friend was already seated at the table, drinking a glass of water. He had taken his cloak off, his hair was loose and almost touching his shoulders. The blond tried to ignore how good Sasuke looked like that and started to boil some water for dinner.

“Ramen?” Sasuke asked.

“No. Rice.”

The idea of proving to Sasuke he wasn’t always right about him made his guts twitch in victory. Of course, Naruto wanted ramen, but that wasn’t the point. 

Another round of silence followed and even when Naruto was alone in his home, he had not felt so lonely. Was it so hard for Sasuke to apologize for hurting him? He could feel his friend was trying to say something, but as always, the answers Naruto was looking for wouldn’t come so easy.

“Did you cut your hair?”

Naruto nodded, his eyes still staring at the water as if it was going to magically boil under his pressing gaze. The boy ran his fingers through his sunny blond hair. He was still getting used to their length.

“It suits you... But I liked it better when it was long.”

Naruto swallowed hard. He tried to brake the rush of blood in his cheeks but it was too late: he was blushing like a teenage girl. 

“Did you tell anyone what happened?” Sasuke asked, his tone more serious.

Naruto lost patience again. He was tired of the Uchiha sucking and blowing. He felt used like a toy and his heartbeat was abnormally fast. 

“Is that all that matters to you, Sasuke?” He spat out. “If people know we slept together or not?”

“You’re probably too emotional to talk about this.”

Naruto hit the table with his fist, jaw tensing and eyes darkening with fury. 

“How long are you gonna treat me like an idiot?”

“It was just a question.” He answered with his usual bored look that made Naruto even angrier.

“Just a question? You come here after months without hearing from you, expecting that I’d suddenly be your forgiving friend Naruto who always has your back?”

Sasuke didn’t say a word but his silence was a very telling answer. Still, he didn’t look down as Naruto was throwing him a bowl of steamed hot rice.

“That’s what you thought, huh? That I’m an idiot who’s ready to let you do whatever you want and still run after you. It was true when all I knew was that you needed help and friends to come back to the village. And even when I thought we had passed that, you still needed me, and I was there, Sasuke. And you used me. Over and over! I’m so fucking stupid!”

Naruto hadn’t hesitated. He had said everything he needed to say, and even if his voice didn’t crack in the process, it felt like a thousand drums were thumping in his chest and his blood was boiling in his veins. His teeth pressing like in a vice, he bit his tongue to avoid feeling the pain in his heart. This time, Sasuke looked away. 

“You think you’re the only one who doesn’t know what love is? ” Naruto barked again, “That you can hurt people and say that you didn’t know better? Look at me, Sasuke!”

But the Uchiha kept looking at the window, their reflection now mirroring in the glass. Sasuke couldn’t escape the confrontation anymore. Naruto wouldn’t let him.

“Every time I had a choice to make, I chose you. And I’d do it again. It had always been you. Why would you push me away?” Naruto said, his breath panting like he had just run a marathon. 

The young man stared at the love of his life and sighed. His eyes turned glassy as he understood that Sasuke would stay Sasuke and not apologize or explain himself. To hide the wobbling of his chin, Naruto started eating in silence. He didn’t want to cry in front of him again or even sniffle but it was too late. He loved him so much that the rice in his mouth, the air he was breathing, the green grass under his feet when he was training… everything was turning to ashes. Naruto had barely taken two spoons of plain rice when two fingers picked his chin and made him look right into Sasuke’s eyes. The Sharingan was awake and before Naruto could escape the crimson gaze of the Uchiha, he was absorbed in a parallel world.

The victim of the Genjutsu looked around him in fears. What would Sasuke do to him? Would he manipulate him into forgetting everything that had happened? Naruto didn’t want that. As miserable as he was, he cherished that night with Sasuke with all his heart. It was his secret garden, the promise of a brighter future and the hope that Sasuke would wake up one day. But Naruto wasn’t in a dark place like he had feared. It wasn’t some torture setting. He was back at the Valley of the End. His young self was lying on the ground and Sasuke just above his head. The two of them were so close that the Uchiha’s tears were mixing with the rain and falling right on his face… Naruto had no idea Sasuke had been looking at him that way. His deep voice echoed between two crashes of thunder.

“At that moment, I didn’t know what it was… you and me.”

“Sasuke!” Naruto called and searched for him. But his Sasuke was nowhere in sight.

“I thought I just wanted to be different from my brother… but the truth is… I never wanted to hurt you.”

“I know. I know, you told me this already.” Naruto pleaded, still looking for his friend. “I believe you, I forgave you! Sasuke! Where are you?”

A sudden wave carried the blond away and changed the settings. In front of him, he was saying goodbye to Sasuke in the woods outside of Konoha as the shinobi was going on his journey to atone. Once again, Naruto witnessed the encounter from the outside. Watching them from where he stood, he realized how the both of them looked awkward facing each other. 

“I thought you would try to hold me back.” The familiar voice admitted.

“I wanted to!” Naruto shouted. “That’s all I wanted but… I thought I had to let you go if I wanted you to be happy.”

“I can’t have happiness, Naruto.”

“Sasuke. Where are you?”

Naruto landed in another place. This time, Sasuke was alone in his tent. He was screaming to death in his sleep. Like images on a screen, Naruto travelled from one place to another. The decor changed, but the screaming remained the same. Speechless, Naruto watched Sasuke lose his mind every night for what seemed like an eternity. The Uchiha was just the shadow of himself by night and trying to save appearances by day. He knew he couldn’t because that was just a memory, but all Naruto thought was to wrap his arms around the vulnerable body of the one he loved. 

But then, his former self did. He watched himself in Sasuke’s memories, subtly rocking the Uchiha to sleep with his chakra. So, he knew, then?

“I know what I did for you, Sasuke.” He finally said. “Why are you showing me this?”

“Because I wanted you to know that I don’t despise you. I don’t use you. You are the only person to make me feel good and safe.”

Now, the raven-haired shinobi was in front of Naruto. They were on neutral ground. Their ground actually. The blond recognized the parallel dimension where their souls often connected. It was warm, familiar and bright. Naruto walked to his friend and took his valid hand.

“I’m here.” He whispered. “All I want is to be here for you.”

“I’m trying to survive without you. I can’t be attached to you like that, Naruto.” Sasuke answered, his glassy eyes staring at their tangled fingers.

“Why? Why would it be so hard?” Naruto pleaded with all his heart, bending down to catch a glimpse of Sasuke’s beautiful orbs.

“Because! It’s consuming me! You’re all I can think about when you’re not around and when you’re here, I’m burning. I’m literally burning. I can’t have something I can’t control in my life!”

Naruto smiled. He understood what Sasuke meant because every inch of his body was on fire right now. But that was a good sensation, a passion so loud and devouring that Naruto could betray the entire world if it meant he would have another chance with Sasuke. He was strong enough to protect the both of them. 

“Bring us back, Sasuke. Let me show you how burning can be good. How we are made for this.”

When Naruto opened his eyes again, he was still seated at his kitchen table with dried tears on his cheeks. Sasuke was standing by the window. The blond didn’t wait another minute to wrap his arms around him and hid his nose at the base of his nape to smell his natural scent. He had missed it so much it felt like he was getting new Hit Points. 

“What are you so afraid of?” He whispered.

“Not being enough… pushing you away… hurting you…”

“You’ve already done all that. I’m still here.”

“You left.” He said, like a spoiled child.

“You… went too far, Sasuke.”

His fingers wrapped around Naruto’s hand, Sasuke tightened his grip. It was his way to say sorry and the blond tangled their knuckles together.

“I’m not finished.” The Uchiha said, his throat tightening toward the end.

“What? What do you want to tell me?” Naruto encouraged him as he nuzzled behind his ear.

“I can’t afford to have bonds like that…”

“Are you back on your bullshit about power and stuff?”

“It’s quite the opposite, actually.”

Naruto tightened his embrace. He truly wanted to know what was wrong with Sasuke and he knew he had to push him a little bit more, just to reward him for making a step in the right direction.

“That night was special. It meant so much to me… You might had sex with other people but for me, doing it with you was my way to say that I love you.”

He had said it in the most natural way and the relief he felt after pronouncing the words lifted a heavy weight on his chest. 

“Sasuke?”

“Mh…”

“I love you…”

Sasuke said nothing but Naruto felt his resistance weakened. He was ready to let go of his fears and talk to him. He knew exactly how to break down his walls. Slowly, Naruto picked his chin and turned his head to give him a tender peck on the lips. A shiver ran through both of their bodies and they smiled shyly, mouth to mouth. 

“You want me to turn off the light so we can talk?”

Sasuke nodded and before Naruto did, he watched his face one last time. The Uchiha looked suddenly ten years younger. He had this lost child look in his eyes and Naruto was glad he had chosen the tender path this time. 

Laid on Naruto’s tiny bed, the two boys were enjoying the silence together. Sasuke had pillowed his head on the blond’s chest and purred with content as Naruto was losing his long fingers in his mane of dark hair. When he was finally ready, Sasuke broke the silence with a whisper:

“I seriously have no idea what I’m doing.”

“Don’t we all?”

“You always knew what you wanted… becoming Hokage, impressing the villagers, finding belonging… After I fought Itachi, I was lost. Nothing made sense. Everything I believed in was a lie. Destroying Konoha, bringing back the Hokage, jumping into the war… nothing was calculated anymore.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing. It brought you back to me. Isn’t that something positive? Worth of everything you’ve been through?”

Sasuke sighed thoughtfully. The blond realized it would take much more to convince Sasuke he was allowed to taste happiness. But loving him was the easiest thing in the world and Naruto had lots of hope for the both of them.

“I just… I can’t afford to lose you, Naruto.” 

For the first time, Naruto heard Sasuke’s voice break. He wasn’t screaming alone in the dark where no one could see him. The young boy was there, with him in his arms, unveiling his deepest fears. Naruto tightened his embrace and tried to find the words while his white shirt started to get wet with Sasuke’s tears.

“You’re not going to lose me. I’m here, I’ll stay here.”

“You don’t know that!” He cried louder. “You’re a shinobi. You’re the front line of Konoha. I can’t stand the idea of having you taken away. I can’t… I can’t lose anyone else!”

The soft cuddles on the bed had transformed into a panic attack. The Uchiha was hiding his face, ashamed for letting his weaknesses show like that. But Naruto wouldn’t let Sasuke drown. Dragging him up, he closed his arms around him and rocked him to soothe his mind and body. The short and panting breath of his friends was warming his neck where he was burying his face. Brushing his hair backwards, Naruto smiled as everything was fallingl in the right places. 

As strong as Sasuke was, he felt very small between Naruto’s limbs. The shinobi was still swaying but now they were on their sides, facing each other. Naruto was playing with the dark locks of hair falling on the beautiful face in front of him. The Uzumaki admired the shades of purple in Sasuke’s left eye and caressed his forehead and temple before cupping his cheek. Once the storm had passed, Naruto tried to reassure him the best he could.

“You and me… we’re meant to be shinobi. This is in our DNA. You would be miserable without it and me too. We were chosen to protect our world and make it a better place. I feel proud when I think about it. And I’m even prouder when I remember that we’re doing this together.”

Sasuke stayed silent, his eyes still wet and nose still pink. Naruto grinned at how adorable and young he looked. If he thought about it a little longer, he would realize that they were still children, after all. His thumb now brushing Sasuke’s mellow and exquisite lips, he confessed:

“There is not a single day where I’m not wondering if you’re safe, if you’re eating well… or if you think about me. I can’t forbid you to be who you are and I can’t stop myself for being hopelessly in love with you, Sasuke. But if there is one chance, even half of a chance, that you love me back… I don’t care about the rest. We’re going to die on the battlefield one day. We both know it. Why would I live a life where there’s no Sasuke? I was made to love you.”

Tears were gliding down Sasuke’s cheeks to damp the pillow he had laid his head on. He was listening in silence, swallowing every word coming out of Naruto’s mouth. For once, he didn’t have anything clever or sassy to say. The blond kept drawing love lines on his face with the tip of his finger.

“What if I die in a year and on top of your pain, you regret not kissing me goodnight every day?”

Sasuke lost himself in the depth of the lagoon inside Naruto’s eyes. His valid hand travelled slowly up and landed on Naruto’s face too.

“I’m sorry.” He whispered so low that Naruto had to read it on his lips. “I’m not strong enough to endure another loss… I’m afraid of what I’ll do if…”

“You are not alone. You are loved.”

The blond smiled and dried his lover’s tears before kissing his burning forehead. Here it was, the best place on Earth. Sasuke almost automatically wrapped himself around the Jinchuuriki as if he was trying to merge with him. 

“How long are you staying?” Naruto asked, his fingers playing with the stubborn black strands on top of his skull.

“I don’t know… It depends on you.”

“It does?” He answered with a hint of surprise in his tone. “How so?”

“I don’t know.” Sasuke shrugged. “I came back for you so…”

Naruto brought Sasuke’s hand to his lips so he could kiss it.

“I’m glad you’re not keeping the truth to yourself.”

“I’m trying hard…”

“Thank you…”

They both timidly chuckled at how polite and calm they both were in those circumstances. But it was a needed step before they could move on and be happy.

“How do you feel right now?” The blond asked, making sure Sasuke was comfortable around him.

“Relieved… I thought you would be more upset, though.”

“Hey… I was… I am. It had been a difficult time for me. But you left me no choice with your Genjutsu and I’m not the type to stay in my corner to sulk and miss the chance to fix things. You know that.”

“I’m sorry about the Genjutsu. I just had no idea how to tell you and I thought showing you would be better. You’re better than me for voicing what you feel.”

Naruto pulled Sasuke higher and his lips found their favorite place to land for a tender embrace. Sasuke moaned lightly in the kiss, his hand cupping the blond’s face to make it last longer. They had missed it so badly.

“You didn’t follow me when I left.” Naruto said, expecting an explanation.

“Because I wanted you gone… I thought to myself that it was better like this. I made a mistake when we slept together, I shouldn’t let that happen. After that, everything was out of control.”

“You know you weren’t the only one to take the decision, right? I was thinking about this day and night… And then, seeing you with those women…”

“I thought it would drive you away, but you started kissing the hooker and I tasted my own medicine.”

Naruto smiled at how stupid they had been. Two fools in love. His hands now on Sasuke’s back, he tightened his grip to share his warmth with him because the Uchiha terribly needed it. A comforting gasp escaped his mouth and Sasuke’s look changed.

“Are we done talking? Because there’s something I want to try.”

“Mh… wha-”

Naruto didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence. His lover already had his hand down his pants. His shorts were loose around the hips, allowing Sasuke’s wrist to move easily. Naruto had no idea of how thirsty he had been all those weeks but his hard-on was giving him a pretty big hint. Through his lashes, he noticed that Sasuke was climbing down, kissing his stomach and the V shape of his groin. He had never thought about that particular thing, shutting his dirty thoughts away every time the idea came through. Naruto was a man now, but he always thought that his love life would be a way more awkward and boring challenge than his career as a shinobi. 

But every lick and peck from Sasuke proved to him how wrong he had been and how shameful this would have been if he had never tasted the soft sensation of someone’s tongue against his skin, right there. It wasn’t like he had been obsessing about sex for months. But he could feel it in his bones: he needed to be with Sasuke this way. He needed to feel his bare skin against his. He needed to touch him and make him feel loved. But for now, the Uchiha was in charge.

Sasuke didn’t wait longer before taking Naruto’s clothes off and hungrily burying his face between his thighs. He traced an imaginary line of kisses from his navel to his pelvic bone. Straightening on his elbows, Naruto looked at Sasuke giving his inner thighs passionate kisses before grabbing his dick in his hand. This sight was still odd to Naruto but he couldn’t take his eyes off of it. He watched with an open mouth as Sasuke closed his lids and took the head of his cock between his pink lips. The Uchiha played with it a little as Naruto was already losing his mind. The sensation was like no other. Apparently, the Uchiha quickly had healed from the conversation they just had.

“Fuck… Sasuke… where did you… ah!”

“Where did I what?” He asked, letting go of his dick with a ‘plop’ that made Naruto hardened even more.

“Learn… to do this…”

“I didn’t… I’ve never…” He smiled with his blushing cheeks as Naruto’s cock bounced on his pretty nose. “I just really wanted to do this to you.”

And before the blond could retort, Sasuke’s mouth and tongue were everywhere again. Sucking, kissing, licking and holding him tight in his fist, the Uchiha wasn’t sparing an inch of Naruto’s length. For the first time in months, the tension in his muscle was caused by pleasure and he was responding very well to each stroke his lover was inflicting on him. Soon, he felt Sasuke’s saliva drip down his balls and between his thighs and his knuckles whitened as he pulled the sheets and arched his body. Sasuke had just sucked him so hard his cheeks had caged his cock in a wet and hot cocoon. Pressing his thighs tight around Sasuke’s head, Naruto pushed hard with his heels on the mattress and let his fingers disappear in the thick and dark mane between his trembling legs.

“Are you close?” Sasuke asked, stroking him with his hand to give his jaw a break.

“I… I mh…” Naruto had no idea how close he was.

After his usual smirk, Sasuke’s mouth found his shaft again and this time, Naruto felt like he was trying to drain every drop of chakra out of him. He couldn’t help but fuck himself inside his lover’s mouth. His insides purring and jolting with pleasure, he let the Uchiha do everything he wanted to his body. Right before he felt like he was about to explode, his sight blurred by tears of pleasure, Naruto pushed Sasuke a little away and tried to wrap his hand around his own cock, like a habit. He felt a rough slap on his palm and opened his eyes. Sasuke was looking at him with a feral look. His lips, usually so soft, looked abused and Naruto squirmed when he thought that his cock made that to him.

As if he was reading into the blond’s mind, Sasuke bit his lips while undressing. His clothes on the floor, the Uchiha leaned to share a passionate kiss with Naruto and straddle his hips. The Jinchuuriki started caressing his back, his hips and thighs, whispering soft words into his ears. He wanted to prepare Sasuke this time. But before he could do anything, his ass was already riding him. A thunder of pleasure shocked his nerves all around his body again when Sasuke sat on his cock. 

His hips moved up and down, forward and backward with chaotic thrusts and frantic rhythm. Sasuke was losing himself on top of Naruto, shamelessly moaning each time his ass met his pelvis. The sight was mesmerizing. Pale skin, wet and dark hair sticking to his forehead, his pink nipple hardening under Naruto’s touch, hips so tight he could lift him with one hand and still get a strong hold on his firm and massive shoulders… Sasuke was one of a kind. He looked at his lover, waving, fucking himself on top of him and it was everything Naruto wished for. 

His cries echoing in the small apartment, Sasuke called him, let him touch his body, grab his dick and pull his hair. Eager to have more of him, he held Sasuke’s ass and helped him ride his cock faster. The boy smiled naughtily, as he let his strong and flexible shinobi body satisfy the both of them to the fullest. He grabbed Naruto’s hand, kissed his palm, licked his fingers like a famished child until he could take one in his mouth to suckle it. But the blond couldn’t take one more second away from his lips and pulled him brutally against his chest to eagerly eat his face. 

This time, it would be it. The Jinchuuriki couldn’t restrain his orgasm any longer. And the more it rose in his loins, the more he needed to possess Sasuke. His fingers pulled hard at the back of his hair, his other hand grabbed his butt, forcing him to arch harder. Caged between them, the Uchiha’s dick was throbbing and already wetting their stomach with pre-cum. Sasuke was gasping painfully against his lips while Naruto’s hips were working in and out of him as if their lives depended on it. His exquisite face was blushed and completely high on pleasure.

They both opened their mouth to let their climax wash everything inside them. Waves of fireworks started spreading from their loins to every limbs of their bodies. Naruto could feel it in his toes, the roots of his hair and even when his ears started buzzing. The storm lasted what felt like an eternity of electric shocks and chills all over him. Sasuke’s ass kept jolting around Naruto’s shaft, sending him higher every time until there was nothing else to get out of him. It wasn’t better than the first time. It was different. “Every time would be”, he thought. He finally let go of Sasuke’s hair and let him fall on him, mixing their sweat and cum as he pulled out of him and let his dick go soft against his thigh. Sasuke’s body was boiling hot but he wasn’t moving, as if he was seeking warmth. Naruto kissed the top of his head and closed his eyes, finally satisfied. Surrounded by their mixed scents, his heart was finally at peace.

A quick nap later, they both woke up and lazily ran their fingers across their skin. It was a soft and quiet embrace, one that was needed after all these emotions. Rolling slightly to the side, with Sasuke still clinging to him in fear he might leave him, Naruto faced him to have better access to his mouth and eyes. 

Their kisses were wet, sleepy but delicious. He couldn’t stop looking at Sasuke, admiring his face and his body, looking for his thoughts in his dark and purple orbs. Questions were burning his lips but he didn’t want to be rude after that.

“Ask away.” Sasuke yawned, knowing Naruto by heart.

“I just… you seem so comfortable with having sex with a man…”

“You wonder if I slept with other men? I didn’t.”

“But-”

“You’re not bad either, you know? You seem pretty comfortable to me too.”

“With you, it just comes naturally.”

“See… it’s that simple.” He said, closing his eyes with a smile before lowering his voice. “I was just dying to have these sensations. Having sex with others… with women… it always felt like I was missing on something.”

Naruto smiled as if Sasuke had given him the most precious present. They were made for this. Made for each other. Sasuke wanted him, just him. And he could not imagine somebody else in his arms right now. He covered their body, now shivering with the chilliness of the room and held Sasuke tight against him, praying he would never go away this time.

“And hm… you really prefer my hair longer?” 

“Hm…yes.” Sasuke started to answer with a sleepy voice. “Easier to pull when we’re fucking.”

Maybe Naruto would let his hair grow again. Just for science matters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda nervous about this one......... I know Sasuke didn't get the beating he deserved for being such a shitty friend but... look at my child, he's so precious and vulnerable. I can't be mad at him for too long and neither can Naruto. 
> 
> Thank you so much, there are more and more readers here and I'm glad you're here with me.  
> I hope you still enjoy this story. The next chapter will be like an... epilogue. sort of.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there!
> 
> Here, we're on lockdown again so I finished this beautiful story!  
> This is the last chapter and I'm so glad I wrote it. I wasn't sure I could write about them but I'm not mad about how it turned out. This chapter is a bundle of fluff, and I know we all need it!  
> xx

Naruto was walking through the streets of Konoha, his shoulders relaxed and a dreamy smile on his face. The sun hadn’t appeared yet, the sky was still dark but he could see it peaking through the clouds behind the hills. It was still early and he had received a note ordering him to find the Hokage in his office. The shinobi had to leave Sasuke’s warm body in his bed but he had not felt this energized in a long time. 

Though, he had no idea where this energy was coming from because for the entire week, Naruto had barely slept and eaten. In fact, he had locked himself for six whole days and nights with Sasuke in his tiny apartment. And all they had done was having sex, cuddling, talking and having more sex. His body was sore, but his heart was full. 

On the morning of the seventh day, he had received a letter, written by the hand of Kakashi himself, urging him to come up in the tower. It had drawn him out of sleep but it was time he got out of his lair. The air was filled with hormones, sweat and lust. A smell that would probably disgust anyone entering the room but it almost felt like a battle had occurred. And everybody knew how much Naruto and Sasuke enjoyed battle. Now, they had taken it to bed. 

The Uchiha had growled in his sleep, and tried to pull back Naruto under the sheets when he had felt him slipping away that morning. It was adorable and understandable: it was their first time being apart after a whole week spent lying on top of each other. To soothe his departure, Naruto had started nuzzling his face and kissing every inch of soft skin. Sasuke, half-asleep, had smiled and let him do it. It was one of those rare moments when the Uchiha wasn’t aware of how cheesy and cute this was. The blond had caught his bottom lip with his teeth to nibble and suck gently. It was a mistake, he could feel their bodies waking up and heating up under the sheets. Before the shinobi could go away, Sasuke had pulled him with a strong grip and kissed him passionately. 

They were still naked and the desire they had for each other couldn’t be contained. Naruto had responded to his kisses with more thirst and lust. But he had to go, it was urgent and Kakashi was the Hokage now. Maybe something important was up. Before Sasuke could do anything else - like obscenely wave under him - Naruto had sat on his knees and looked at him with a smile.

“I’ll be back, Sasuke.”

“What? Asshole, you can’t leave in the middle of-”

“Of nothing. We had not started anything. I have to go.” He had said with the softest smile. But Sasuke was already pouting in disapprobation. “I’ll be back… and I’ll take you out.”

Sasuke had not looked impressed at all. In fact, he had even sneered annoyingly. But Naruto wasn’t a fool, he had seen the blushing on his cheeks and the light beaming in his eyes. When he had finally freed himself from his grip, the shinobi had dressed up quickly with his usual orange tracksuit and had gone out. Naruto was already thinking about a breakfast he could bring back to the apartment to make it up to Sasuke. Not that food was something the Uchiha was very fond of but… if sex had been amazing, he wanted to bring a more domestic aspect to their new relationship.

His only fear was to be ordained to go on a mission that day without being able to say goodbye to him. He would understand, their ninja ways were more important than anything… but leaving him so soon would be devastating. Still, it was really early, especially for Kakashi.

“Good morning sensei!” Naruto shouted with his usual cheerfulness.

“Naruto… you’re joyful so early in the morning.” His former teacher looked awfully tired but happy to see him. 

“I guess I had a good night!” He said with a cheeky smile.

“I’m sorry I’m calling you so early.” Kakashi continued after a pause where he had tried to read his former student’s face. “I stayed there all night. I haven’t seen you in a while now.”

“Oh, I’ve been… dealing with some stuff.” He awkwardly answered. 

The shinobi was smiling but it felt like the whole world could see he had been sleeping with Sasuke for the past week. Maybe the shower had not been enough to wash the smell… Before he could say another word, Kakashi stood up and turned to the window facing the whole village. Naruto watched the tall and broad shape of the Hokage and smiled. Hatake Kakashi had been his mentor, his friend, a father figure and now he was looking at his future self. He, out of all people, knew what he had been through. The loss of his father, the guilt, the betrayal… he had felt everything. But Kakashi was still here, guiding him the best he could.

“I was wondering if you were alright.” He said watching the sun rising.

“What do you mean?”

“I haven’t heard from Sasuke either since he came back. Where is he now?”

Naruto danced on his feet and smiled shyly. The simple mention of his name made his cheeks, neck and ears red.

“He’s at my place”. He said and added “in my bed” in his head.

“Oh… so, you two are good?”

“We are now.”

Kakashi spun to face the young shinobi, his eyes focused on his face. Biting the inside of his cheeks, Naruto scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly.

“Is Sasuke staying in Konoha?”

“I’m not sure.” Naruto pouted. “I guess he’s gonna be around for a little while but I wouldn’t put my hopes too high.”

“What makes you think that?”

“I guess I know him a little now… He’s a free spirit, he’s better out there… even though… maybe he has found a reason to come back more often now.”

Kakashi was still staring at Naruto who blushed and looked away. The Hokage sat back on his chair and held his head in his palm with his usual jaded and tired look. Naruto wanted to clear the air and change the subject but the shinobi didn’t give him the time to think about another topic.

“Are you sure he’s the right fit for you, Naruto?”

“W-what do you mean… s-sensei?” He stammered as he pretended to be very interested by the books on the shelves.

“I mean, will you be able to handle him?”

“I did for years.”

“A friend is different than a lover.”

Explicitly said by a stranger, the word “lover” took a whole new dimension. It felt real, there was no turning back. The thought was scary and comforting at the same time. His heart beating heavily in his chest, Naruto felt a heat pooling in his guts, like warm and sweet milk before going to sleep.

“Sasuke is still… vulnerable… but in some ways he’s also extremely strong. He just needs our help and patience.” Naruto turned again to face Kakashi.

“Don’t you think we have given him all the help and patience in the world already?”

“You say that, sensei,” Naruto started with a shy smile, “but we both know you like him profoundly and you want him safe in the village with us.”

Kakashi sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. 

“Maybe someday… I can talk to him about his brother… I regretted I never did. I regretted that I didn’t handle him correctly when he needed guidance.”

His mentor sighing again, Naruto tried to reassure him: “He doesn’t resent you anymore.”

“I resent myself. I have so many regrets.”

“Regrets aren’t gonna lead the village sensei. Everything is good. I’m watching everything and everyone for you.”

Kakashi looked at his student and smiled behind his mask. Naruto had become an accomplished shinobi and young man. He was proud like a father would be. And he also had a thought for Namikaze Minato who had entrusted him with his son.

“Is that all you wanted to know? I have a mouth to feed at home, Hokage-sama.”

Kakashi waved him out with a chuckle and Naruto walked out. With light steps, he started to take a turn to leave the tower when a voice crawled under his skin, making him shiver and drying his mouth up.

“When did you plan to tell me the happy news?”

Behind him, Sakura was leaning against the wall, her head low and arms crossed on her chest. Naruto looked at the pink mane falling on her face like a blossom rain and bit his lip. She was right: in those cheerful times, he had forgotten about her. He had no idea how much she had heard, but considering the way she looked, just enough to embarrass him and break her heart. Usually, she would have punched him in the face but now, she just looked weary. 

“Sakura-chan…”

“Never mind.” She said dryly and walked away.

She had not even looked at him. Naruto looked at her tiny silhouette climbing down the stairs and decided that he had to follow her. She deserved an explanation, an apology. Damn, he was so uncomfortable with causing pain to his friend that he almost considered giving Sasuke away. But that wasn’t his choice to make. And he couldn’t deny how happy he was… He just needed to make her understand it was never meant to hurt her.

Naruto finally caught up with her when they were outside. The sky was now pale blue, the stars slowly disappearing to welcome the sunrays. Her face looked tired, she must have spent the entire night at the Hokage tower too… Naruto felt guilty. 

“Sakura-chan!” He shouted, grabbing her wrist to stop her.

“Leave me alone, Naruto.” Her voice was cold and she was confronting him with her clear and glassy turquoise eyes. Tears had started to run down her cheeks. 

“Sakura, I’m sorry. Let me explain!”

“There’s nothing to explain, I understood correctly.” She retorted, taking her arm back and walking away with loud and angry steps.

Naruto looked at her as she disappeared around the corner and sighed. He had fucked up. He stayed there for a couple of minutes, wondering how in the world he could make it up to her but nothing came to his mind. She had loved Sasuke since… forever. How could she ever forgive him? And how could he do that to her in the first place ? 

Right when he was about to walk home, the tiny shape of Sakura’s body appeared in the Hokage Tower’s yard again. This time, her hair was standing like electrified spikes on her head. She was going to hit him, he thought as she was furiously heading in his direction. Naruto winced right before her fist ended up on his nose but then, it didn’t. She had stopped her hand right before touching him and a wave of relief shook his body.

“Do you know why I am mad, Naruto?”

“Yes I-

“DO YOU KNOW?” She spat out.

“N-no… I guess I don’t, Sakura-chan.” He stammered, petrified.

Her fists were now clenching on her waist and she looked furious.

“I’m mad because you thought you couldn’t tell me.” She answered, pointing a long finger on his chest. “I’m mad because we are best friends and you thought I couldn’t understand.”

Out of all the things he was ready to hear, Naruto had never thought Sakura would feel that way.

“Am I mad because you got him? Of course I am. But…” She sighed in despair and wiped her tears. “Me and Sasuke never had what you and him have. I was in love with the idea of what he was like. And through the years, we grew apart…”

“Sakura-Chan…”

“Like I said in Jofuku, I don’t know him anymore. I’ve been imprisoned by my feelings for so long that I thought I had to love him forever. But I don’t.”

“I’m sorry. I truly am.” Naruto said with all the tenderness he could.

“Oh, you bet you’re sorry. You never steal a friend’s crush. You broke the sister code.” She retorted, crossing her arms again.

“Good to know you never saw me as boyfriend material…” He said with an awkward laugh.

She finally smiled, rubbed her red eyes and took off her shinobi headband to run her fingers through her messy hair.

“I almost did. But you will always be Naruto… my silly companion from Team 7.”

They both laughed timidly and Naruto took her hand in his. “I’m sorry Sakura-chan. It was never meant to hurt you… It was never meant to _be_ actually. It happened, just like that…”

“No it didn’t, baka.” She bursted in laughter and this time, the tears were tears of joy. “You and him were the only one not to see it.”

They took a walk in the silent streets of Konoha, talking like they were always used to. Being close to her, knowing he wouldn’t lose her filled Naruto’s heart with a warm bundle of joy. She wasn’t asking questions about their relationship, the pain and surprise probably too fresh to be discussed yet. As they watched the first stalls open, Sakura brought Naruto to an onigiri shop.

“This was his favorite when he was a kid.” She said with a knowing smile.

“How do you know that?”

“When I tell you I was obsessed with him.” She chuckled.

“Are you going to be alright?” He asked while paying for onigiri to bring home.

“I guess so! I have to get used to the idea of you two together…” She winced in disgust, making them both laugh. “But it’s a good thing. I’m finally going to move on and plan something for myself.”

“You have something in mind?”

“No, but you never know what can happen. I could give a call to that shinobi who gave me a love letter during the war.” She winked and Naruto yelled at her for not telling him about it.

Sakura left Naruto in front of the stairs of his building with a light peck on his cheek. He watched her walk to her own house and sighed. He had been lucky this time but he had to make up to her. Her resilience had impressed him, but he wouldn’t let her hide anything from him, especially if she was still upset about this.

When he entered his small apartment, the place was filled with light. The windows were open and the air smelled good and fresh. As he removed his shoes in the hall, he watched the lean silhouette of Sasuke walk in front of him with his bare legs and an oversize shirt opened on his chest. Stuttering to find the words, Naruto placed the bags of onigiri on the kitchen table and stayed on the doorstep of the bedroom where the Uchiha was folding his clothes. He had taken a shower and was now making room for his stuff in Naruto’s closet.

“Why didn’t you wait for me? I can help you.” He said, his heart beating loud at the thought that Sasuke was staying.

“It’s okay, I can fold my own laundry.”

“So, are you staying, for good?” He asked with that tone of hope he had tried to hide so hardly.

“No. But it’s more practical if I leave some stuff here instead of carrying them on my back.”

“Oh…”

Saying that he was disappointed was an understatement. Naruto went back to the kitchen and took the onigiri out of the bag. He noticed that the charming lady had put an extra bowl of soup, rice and a little note for him: “To our hero, Naruto”. He smiled proudly. He had come so far to earn the villagers’ trust. The young man set the table and started making an omelette with the eggs he had in his tiny fridge.

“I had no idea you could cook”. He heard Sasuke say behind him.

“I’m not doing this frequently but since the war is over and Kakashi kept me so long here, I tried new stuff to not die of boredness. Ramen are still my favorites, though.”

“Did you buy the onigiri from the old Asato lady?”

“Yes…”

“I had no idea she was still here.”

“We helped her rebuild her stall after Pain’s attack.”

Naruto rolled the omelette, cut it in half and served two plates with rice and soup. They both sat down and started eating breakfast. It was a nice change, he thought. A real filling breakfast with Sasuke… Who would soon leave him again.

“I’m leaving tomorrow.” Sasuke said, as if he had heard him think.

“Hm.”

“Naruto…”

“Hm.”

“Are you mad?”

“No.”

The blond put back the bowl of soup on the table and brought a piece of omelette to his mouth. He knew it was pointless to try to convince Sasuke to stay longer and if they wanted to start this relationship on the right foot, he’d better get used to the Uchiha being absent most of the time. 

Lost in his thoughts, Naruto didn’t see the two fingers come at his forehead and tap him right above the brows. He lifted his eyes to meet with Sasuke’s. From this light and simple touch, Naruto could feel a huge amount of warmth flooding into his body. The boy in front of him had a shy but proud smile as he let his finger slip on the side of Naruto’s cheek to cup his face and pull him slightly so they could kiss across the table.

The embrace was soft, tender and comforting for the both of them. Naruto was struggling to let go of Sasuke’s lips and the Uchiha chuckled as he gave him a quick peck on the nose. 

“I’m not leaving for long… A week, tops. I’ll come back after I get the business done and we’ll figure things out. Maybe I’ll go away only when you’re on missions.”

“Promise me you won’t duck this relationship as soon as it gets complicated.”

“I won’t, I promise. You trust me?”

“You know I am.” He answered with a knowing smile and took a spoonful of rice.

Deciding they needed to get out of here, they both started strolling around town in silence. Now that they were in public, things were getting a little bit awkward. Neither Sasuke or Naruto ever had a significant other, even less a man. The blond was smiling to every villager calling him to greet him. Some of them even recognized Sasuke and gave him a knowing smile. After all, they had seen the little Uchiha growing there too and he used to be a sweet boy. 

At noon, they stopped in front of Ichiraku’s stall but sensing Sasuke wasn’t up for ramen and that they needed to spend more time just the two of them, they bought goods in a store and headed toward the lake. Sasuke had given him a strange look when Naruto had naturally pulled him into another store, breaking with his old ramen habit just for him. 

Now laying under the sun, their lunch half-eaten, they were enjoying the nice breeze of the late summer days. His head on Naruto’s stomach, Sasuke was purring as his lover was massaging his skull through his hair. Sometimes, they could hear a fish jumping out of water, the steps of a squirrel in the high grass and birds chirping above their heads. 

It was a peaceful afternoon, a rare one they weren’t used to enjoy as shinobi. Sasuke was leaving in the morning and that was all they needed to be with each other. Naruto wondered if the Uchiha would keep his promise… not because he thought he did not want to be with him but maybe he wasn’t able to stay in the village. Maybe it was too painful.

Sitting to admire his boyfriend’s beautiful face, Naruto started to pin wildflowers in Sasuke’s hair. Daisies, poppies and cornflowers were now crowning the Uchiha’s forehead. He opened his eyes, unaware of what was happening north of his bangs and wrinkled his nose.

“Why are you looking at me like an idiot?”

“Because you’re so pretty.”

Sasuke sighed but didn’t hide his blushing and smile this time. Naruto leaned to give him a little smooch before pouting.

“It’s weird. I haven’t seen anyone coming near the lake since we arrived. It’s usually busy when it’s sunny like this.”

“They came.” Sasuke answered knowingly.

“Who?”

“Everyone. Shikamaru, Lee, Kiba, Ino… they were all hiding in the bushes on the right.”

Naruto looked at the little forest by the lake and stayed speechless for a moment.

“They… they saw? When? You haven’t said anything!”

“They saw you put a dango up your nose and eat my face, yes.”

Naruto laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

“Don’t you tell me you’re being cold feet now?”

“No! I’m just… a little shy in front of the others.”

“Don’t worry.” Sasuke laughed. “I scared them away.”

“W-what? Sasuke, what did you do?! I told you to not use your Rinnegan!”

Sasuke laughed with pure joy, like a child who has just done something very silly and Naruto couldn’t stay angry at him for much longer.

“Do you still have nightmares?” He asked with a more serious tone when the Uchiha had calmed down.

“Mh… sometimes… it gets rare.” Sasuke said, calmly.

“You never told me what happens in your dreams.”

Sasuke stayed silent for a moment and closed his eyes. It still seemed easier for him to speak in the dark.

“I see them dying over and over again. I see Itachi dying but I’m not the one killing him. It’s Danzô, Sandaime, the entire village… It’s like he died when he was told to murder our clan. This is how it still feels.”

“Nobody’s gonna be mad at you for feeling angry about it.”

“I’m passed anger, Naruto. I just don’t want to feel pain anymore. I don’t want to miss him, miss my parents, miss my clan…”

Naruto sighed and closed his eyes for a moment too to hold the tears behind his lids. Sasuke’s sorrow was making his insides ache and he could feel what his boyfriend was going through, why he had suffered for so long. It wouldn’t be easy. Now that Sasuke was doing better, they had to work to free him entirely of his loneliness and sadness. 

“Why don’t we re-open an Uchiha compound? Not… exactly where it was, the place is charged with tragedy but somewhere else in the village.”

“This doesn’t make sense. I’m the only one left.” He answered, a lump in his throat and eyes still closed.

“That doesn’t mean you can’t be home, feel at home. You’re an Uchiha, your clan built this village with the Senjus. Your brother saved the village several times. You did too… you deserve this.”

Sasuke sat, his back turned to Naruto, head low. The blond looked at the flowers falling from his long hair now touching his shoulders, his broad back and the empty sleeve dancing in the wind. After a long moment of silence where they could only hear the birds and a deer who came to drink by the lake with her cub, Sasuke looked at Naruto.

“So what? I’m gonna have a whole neighborhood to myself?”

“I can… live there too…”

Sasuke frowned and laughed. “Wait, what? We’re only dating for a week and you want to move in together.”

“First of all, you just admitted we were dating.” Naruto said with a big and silly smile that made Sasuke growled in defeat. “Second… you don’t have a home anymore and you’re crashing at my place so… basically it’s like we already do. Think of all the spiders you’re gonna find when you get home. And the empty cupboards. And the silence, and the-”

“Fine! I get it, Naruto.”

Naruto laughed and sat head to tail with Sasuke to face him.

“Look at me.” He said, cupping his cheek with his warm palm. “This could be good for you, for us… to have a home. Maybe it’ll make you want to come back more often if you know there’s a safe place for you in the village.”

Sasuke dived into the azure of Naruto’s eyes and all he could see was how much his lover wanted this to work out. To thank him, he leaned closely and found the beautiful blond’s lips with his. A soft and tender kiss followed. Every touch still felt magical and they doubted it would one day faint. They were made for this and their whole bodies were asking for more contact, embrace and tenderness.

“So, we’re together in the new Uchiha compound. Then what?” Sasuke whispered, his bare forehead against Naruto’s cold headband.

“Then we live, Sasuke. It’s as simple as that.”

“Why do we need an Uchiha quarter if there’s no passing of my heritage?”

“So you’re already thinking about kids, uh?” Naruto said with a snarky tone.

“Shut up.”

The blond laughed and pulled Sasuke closer as the Uchiha tried to get away from his arms.

“We’ll figure this out.” He answered, brushing Sasuke’s lower lip with his thumb. “We always did.”

“There’s something we physically can’t do, you know?”

“There are still orphans… we both are…”

The idea of raising kids who needed belonging seemed to move Sasuke into his very core. He smiled lightly and forced himself between Naruto’s legs, laying his back and head against his chest. The Uzumaki didn’t wait to put his arms around him, thanking whoever was responsible to have turned his lover into a soft ball of sweetness.

“Or… maybe we could ask Orochimaru.” The Uchiha said with a light tone.

A shiver of horror shook Naruto’s spine and muscles.

“Don’t tell me you’re being serious.”

“What? Don’t you want to have a real child with your DNA?”

“I do but… have you seen Orochimaru??”

“From a pretty close point of view, yes.” Sasuke joked.

Another spasm shook the Uzumaki’s body and he tightened his grip around Sasuke’s frame.

“I’d rather have you sleep with a hooker to get an Uchiha heir than see my kids grow in a tube.”

“Calm down, it was a joke.”

“Yes well, allow me to be very suspicious about your crazy ideas! Oh my God, with your cells, that old snake would create an army of… of… of YOU! We can’t let that happen!”

After kicking his shit out, Sasuke rolled on Naruto again, to possess his lips, tongue and everything around. But this time, it led them directly back to Naruto’s apartment. They had one last night together and they needed to make the best out of it. 

An entanglement of clothes was on the floor when Sasuke got up early the next morning. Naruto’s weary body was still asleep and the black-haired shinobi looked at his lover's calm face. The tanned skin, the nice shape of his ass peeking out of the sheets, his back muscles and the mane of sunny-yellow hair… Sasuke would miss Naruto. But it wasn’t for too long: a week, maybe two. And then he’d be back in Konoha. He would go away again but maybe this time they’d have a mission together, or maybe it would be only for a couple of days… Who knew? Sasuke just felt that after two years on the road, he was ready to turn another page on his story. 

He leaned a little to kiss Naruto’s temple before heading to the bathroom. Under the hot water, he didn’t hear his lover enter the shower to join him. His warm body tenderly caging Sasuke’s, Naruto started kissing his shoulders and the base of his nape. It was a goodbye but they were both smiling, knowing it was certainly not their last.

Sasuke had thought he could go without a last embrace. But he was too weak and too needy for Naruto’s love for that. He let the blond kiss him everywhere, lick every part of his body he could. The Jinchuuriki, with his body so hot, his hands so big and calloused and his mouth so eager for him, made him whimper and tremble. Both of them were still marveled at how intense and good it was, even after days of doing it. 

Naruto lifted Sasuke’s thigh to ease his access, his fingers dug deep in his ass, teeth playing with his earlobe. As he was thrusting roughly inside him, Naruto let his tongue trace a trail down his jugular before sucking it hard to leave his mark. Sasuke cried and moaned, his head falling backwards. The pain seemed exquisite enough that he scratched Naruto’s nape with his nails.

“What… why?” He asked, panting and jolting under the rough thrusts.

“This is my mark. It’s gonna stay there a week. Once it has disappeared, it means it’s time for you to come home. So I can fuck you again.”

Sasuke opened his eyes wildly as Naruto grabbed his cock to pump and pull. They were both so close it got almost painful. Right before the fireworks burst again, their eyes met and they slowed down. Once they’d hit climax, Sasuke would have to go. They had to make it last a little longer. Lifting Sasuke’s other thigh around him, Naruto hardened the task of standing and fucking his boyfriend. Waving gently inside him, his motions were smoother, deeper and making Sasuke die of pleasure. The Uchiha moaned and tightened his walls around Naruto, offering his throat for the blond to kiss.

Pleasure came from everywhere. Tears were mixing with the hot water and they stayed stuck together for a couple of minutes before Naruto helped Sasuke to get back on his feet again. They said nothing, lathering soap on their sensitive skins and sharing a tender kiss from time to time, not knowing which one would be the last.

After packing a smaller bag than usual, Sasuke accepted the last onigiri in Naruto’s fridge and put on his shinobi shoes. He walked out and before leaving the porch, turned around and looked at his boyfriend leaning against the doorframe. Besides the tiny towel around his hips, Naruto was still naked. Probably a tactic to make him stay longer. Sasuke sighed with a smile, fully aware that this was working.

“I’m gonna miss that body.”

“Just that body?” Naruto answered with a cheeky smile.

“I’m gonna miss you, usuratonkachi.”

The blond greeted him with his usual silly laughter and right before he could kiss him, Sasuke poked his forehead with two fingers, sending through Naruto’s soul the love declaration he couldn’t voice yet. The blond stopped, looked at the Uchiha in his dark orb and grinned before leaning his face against Sasuke’s palm and closing his eyes.

“Come back to me…”

Naruto didn’t have time to open his eyes that the warmth of Sasuke’s hand disappeared. The Uchiha was gone. The shinobi closed his door and went back on his bed, hands behind his head and smiled. He would never be too far away now. Naruto was sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all who stayed with me, left kudos, commented and subscribed!  
> I hope this is a satisfying and realistic ending!  
> I don't know if I should keep writing about them, they are pretty inspiring. 
> 
> I can't wait to know your thoughts about the entire work now that this is over.  
> Once again, thank you for your support!  
> xx
> 
> UPDATE: here is my next [Narusasu story](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27915673/chapters/68359507)!


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